


Dusk to Dawn

by Lokislittlearmy



Series: Dusk to Dawn [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Friendship/Love, Identity Issues, Identity Reveal, Inspired by Fanart, M/M, Musical References, Plagg is a Little Shit, Relationship Discussions, Secret Identity, Snapchat, Tags May Change, Twin AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-07-16 05:45:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 53,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7254898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokislittlearmy/pseuds/Lokislittlearmy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chat Noir’s feet hit the ground and he looked at Nino. “Would you stop following me?” he groaned.</p><p>“Not until you start talking, Mystery Cat."</p><p>-------<br/>Adrien and Felix are both Chat Noir. Masquerading as one person, Adrien takes the day and Felix takes the night. However, once one person realizes they're separate people? Felix winds up in a whirlwind of trying to conceal his identity and strengthen a forming relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nighttime

**Author's Note:**

> I'm kind of self-indulging here but I saw someone mentioning that there was no Felix/Nino in the tags and I was like "...I have to remedy that."  
> So here's this? I'm in a writing groove so it'll probably update pretty quickly.

It was no secret that Felix Agreste was unbelievably bad with emotions. While his twin was energetic and amiable, Felix had never had the same capacity for friendship.

When he bounded across the rooftops of Paris, he was alone. That was fine by him. He stood atop a shingled rooftop, sitting at the apex. Ladybug had since retired for the night. She usually left before him. He had watched her bound away before going in the opposite direction. Now, he sat in peace. The winds of Paris whipped through his hair, tousling it more than it already was.

Adrien was probably waiting for him by now. Felix loathed the idea of going back to the mansion so early. Well, it was early for him. Adrien would have been home ages ago.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a scuffle across the sidewalk two floors down. Chat looked down to find an all-too-familiar red hat and blue shirt. A scowl worked its way across his face as the boy pointed a camera at him. He stood with a sigh and started climbing his way down the building. 

Chat Noir’s feet hit the ground and he looked at Nino. “Would you stop following me?” he groaned.

“Not until you start talking, Mystery Cat,” Nino replied, camera still pointed at the hero. Chat grimaced.

“Fine,” he said. “What do you want to know?” Provided it wasn’t his identity, of course. The kid had to know he wouldn’t get much out of Chat Noir. Especially the one that stuck to the shadows. Then again, he was good friends with the girl who ran the Ladyblog. 

Nino put the camera in his pocket. He seemed to be nervous, if anything. The thought made Chat smile. He never hesitated to denounce Felix, but here he was shifting his weight in front of Chat Noir. “I want to know why you only do night patrols.”

Chat tilted his head. “That’s it?”

Nino nodded.

“Oh.” Chat looked to the side, considering how to answer. Paris wasn’t, in fact, buzzing with the news of two Chat Noirs. If Nino really wanted to reveal him, he would have already. “I’m...camera shy.” Yeah. That was a good excuse. “I’d rather not be in the spotlight.”

They stood in silence for a bit. Chat turned, ready to bolt. “I need to go soon. Do you have any more questions?”

In the corner of Chat’s eye, Nino shook his head. Chat climbed back up the side of the building and took off across the rooftops.

Once far enough away that Chat was convinced Nino wouldn’t follow him, he slid against a chimney onto a rooftop. Why was this kid so enamored with his alternate identity? Maybe he was just curious. A curious fan that had noticed something nobody else did and wanted to know more. 

Nino was more observant than Felix gave him credit for.

Chat Noir bounded the rest of the way to the Agreste mansion and swung into his bedroom. Adrien was asleep on top of the covers, sprawled on his back. He’d been waiting for Felix. The thought brought a smile to Felix’s face as he detransformed and walked over to shake his twin awake. 

Adrien groaned at being woken up. Felix shook his shoulder again. “If you’re going to insist on sleeping in my bed, could you at least stay on one side?”

That earned a groan of what sounded like, “Yeah, okay, fine,” as Adrien rolled over to one side. Felix nodded to himself and went to change into his pajamas. Plagg collapsed on his desk, whining about how two charges was so much more exhausting.

“How did patrol go?” Adrien asked as he stood to climb under the covers.

“The usual. Nothing happened, Ladybug turned in early.” He smiled to himself and dropped his shirt to its basket. “Your friend Nino, he’s a Chat Noir fan.”

“You saw him?”

“I think he’s been chasing me down. He figured out there are two of us.”

Well, that woke Adrien up. He shot up, eyes wide. “He what?”

Felix just shrugged his shirt on. “He figured out there’s a daytime and nighttime Chat Noir. Probably a couple weeks back, but he hasn’t said anything.”

“And he’s not trying to figure out who we are?”

Felix shook his head and switched out his pants. Adrien didn’t talk again until they both were under the covers and he was in deep thought. “Nino hates you.”

“Yes.”

“But he’s a fan of Chat Noir.”

“Yes.”

Adrien narrowed his eyes at the darkness. Felix sighed. “Nobody particularly likes me, Adrien. They just tolerate me. Go to sleep.”


	2. Daytime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who would win in a fight? I dunno and these guys seem to be at a tie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm legitimately curious to hear what y'all think though so here's a poll: poal.me/7frp0r  
> Please vote? I'm gonna use the results in a later chapter so it would be super cool if you did that.

Felix was full of regret and espresso. In hindsight, he should have turned in at the same time as Ladybug. He was tired and his head was pounding. The Dupain-Cheng girl in front of him was always a little too loud, but today she seemed even louder. Adrien sent kind looks up his way.

It was like he could hear every little thing in the classroom. He could hear Nino talking about a billion different things, but none of them were about his meeting Chat Noir. That was strange. Alya had caught a sighting of Ladybug and she was telling Marinette all about it. And Nino was just going on about some music he found. Or wrote. Felix wasn’t paying too much attention.

Or maybe he was. His eyes were locked on Nino in a state of total zoning-out. Nino looked up at him, an expression of disgust already on his face. “Looking at something?”

Felix blinked. He had been staring, hadn’t he? He pushed himself to a sitting position. “Apologies. Just zoned out at nothing in particular.”

Nino scowled and turned his attention back to Adrien, who shot Felix an apologetic glance. Felix rested his head back in his arms. Adrien was caught in a conversation with all three of the others sitting ahead of Felix. Alya managed to turn the conversation onto Ladybug, which got Felix to pay attention. He peeked out over his sleeves and started to follow the conversation.

“I’m just saying,” Alya said with a large hand gesture, “Ladybug would totally win in a fight.”

Nino and Marinette were the ones that shook their heads. “No way,” Nino protested. “Chat Noir is better at hand-to hand combat.”

Adrien cut in for the first time. “You don’t need to be good at hand-to-hand combat when you have a yo-yo.”

“Well, what does the fight end with? Until one of them taps out?”

Adrien shrugged. “Sure.”

“Then it’s likely Chat Noir wouldn’t tap out until he had a good shot, right?”

Marinette laughed. “Are you sure you’re talking about the right Chat Noir?”

Felix, Nino, and Adrien all froze dead in their tracks. Adrien to a lesser degree, and Felix was in the back so it didn’t matter. But it was obvious Nino was turning a bright shade of red. “What?” he stammered. “I’ve watched Chat Noir. His fighting style is way more offensive than Ladybug’s. He would take the first shot.”

Alya nodded. “But Ladybug would block it.”

As the conversation continued down the right path, Felix let out a sigh of relief. He couldn’t imagine what Alya would do if she got her hands on the whole two-Chats secret. 

Nor did he plan to find out.

The lesson, unsurprisingly, dragged on as long as humanly possible. Felix was out of espresso within half the class. He considered falling asleep and asking Adrien for notes later, but a glance down told Felix that Adrien was doing anything _but_ taking notes. So much for that plan.

It took ages for the bell to finally ring. Felix stood from his chair and grabbed his bag and now-empty coffee cup. Next period would likely be even more dull, but at least he got to move. He dropped the cup in the trash can. Marinette stepped in beside him as he started walking, Adrien on his other side. “What about you, Felix? Who do you think would win?”

“Out of Ladybug and Chat Noir?” Felix clarified. He turned into the hallway.

“Yeah.” Marinette was staring up at him with curiosity.

“Chat Noir.” Adrien’s Chat Noir, of course. Felix’s version of Chat would never stand a chance against Ladybug. “It’s like Nino said. He’s more offensive, but it’s certainly to a point. He knows when to defend. Ladybug hates taking the first shot. Or any shots, for that matter.”

Nino joined Adrien’s other side but didn’t say anything to Felix. He turned to Adrien with a grin. “Looks like you’re outnumbered.”

Adrien gave Nino a puzzled look. “Outnumbered?”

“Yeah. You and Alya are the only ones that think Ladybug would win against Chat Noir in a fight.”

Marinette looked across the row of people. “I bet I could get Alya to put it on the Ladyblog. Like a poll. Then we could see what everyone else thinks.”

Felix did not want this to become a big deal. Despite his answer, he knew that if it came to even a play fight, Adrien could get seriously hurt. Adrien seemed to realize this too, looking at his twin with apprehension. 

“Thinks about what?” Alya asked, coming up behind Marinette. The two girls fell behind the others to discuss the poll, the others pushing ahead. “Ooh, that’s a good idea,” she agreed after hearing the idea. “I can see the forum now. Ladybug versus Chat Noir. Oh, Marinette, you’re incredible!” 

The five of them bustled into the science room and took their usual seats. Felix dropped in his seat and glared at the board.

Part of him wanted to know what would happen on patrol tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requests? Questions? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com
> 
> And don't forget to vote at poal.me/7frp0r


	3. Interview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix would do anything to get this godforsaken curse off his ring finger. Chat, however? When he leaped across the rooftops of Paris, he felt free. That was more than he could say for his life. Perfectly scheduled to a point. And Chat Noir, no matter the Chat, was loved. Yes, Felix had his brother. The few people he let within his circle of personal space. But just as he’d said to Adrien the previous night, Felix was just tolerated.
> 
> In Nino’s case, Felix was hardly that. But Chat Noir was standing on Nino’s terrace, processing what to say for an answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't forget to vote if you haven't: poal.me/7frp0r
> 
> Hope you enjoy this extra-long chapter!

Chat Noir was strolling down the streets tonight instead of jumping across rooftops. Ladybug had just said goodbye for the night.

In all honesty, he was waiting for something to happen. Something specific. Because while Nino hated Felix Agreste, he adored Chat Noir. That’s why it was no surprise when Chat heard footsteps approaching from behind. He spun around to face an out of breath Nino.

“I take it you need something?” Chat asked, raising an eyebrow.

Nino held up a finger and leaned over to catch his breath. Once he was able to speak, he stood up straight. “I want to interview you.” He must have seen Chat’s look of apprehension and confusion, because he continued. “I won’t tell anyone else what I learn. I promise. I just want to know more about you, Mystery Cat.”

Chat came closer, extremely curious. He noted the camera phone peeking out of Nino’s pocket. “Why? I’m not the daytime Chat Noir, and you know it.”

“That’s why you’re so fascinating.” Nino took a step forward. His hands were at his headphones. This wasn’t the first time Felix had noticed him using them as a fidget.

Chat’s eyes narrowed involuntarily. Truly, Nino meant no harm. And he wasn’t talking to his classmates. Or anyone else, for that matter. “Fine. Not here, though.” He looked around at the deserted street.

“My place is just around the block. If you meet me on my terrace-”

“I will.” Chat nodded and started climbing up the building beside them. Nino watched him reach the rooftop before bounding down the street like an excited child. A nervous bold shot through Chat as he reached the terrace. He knew this was Nino’s. He had gotten Adrien from this place before. He dropped onto the terrace and stared out over the street. What was he doing? He was not the Chat Noir that was in interviews. He was the Chat that stayed far away from the limelight and wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. So what was he doing here?

Nino opened the door and stepped out onto the platform. Chat Noir turned on his heel to face him. Nino closed the screen door behind him and stepped closer. “So, I have questions.” He pulled his phone out and showed Chat a typed list.

“I have answers.” Chat paused, glancing at the phone screen. “But first, I have ground rules. I won’t tell you anything about where my powers come from or anything about myself outside of costume. Is that clear?”

“Absolutely.” Nino nodded vigorously. “Okay.” He pulled the phone to him and tapped the screen to refresh its brightness. “Did you get your powers at the same time as the daytime Chat Noir?”

“Yes,” Chat replied. He leaned against the fencing and crossed his arms.

Nino paused, narrowing his eyes at the phone screen. What, were his glasses not strong enough? “I guess I’ll skip that one,” he muttered as if unsure. It wasn’t his glasses. He’d been unsure about the question itself. “Okay. How did you decide who would be daytime and who would be nighttime?”

Chat thought back. “It wasn’t difficult. We figured the daytime Chat would get more spotlight, and I knew he wouldn’t be able to run at all hours with his schedule. It’s better to have a short and stressful day than a long and mildly less stressful one.” Adrien had been concerned for Felix. That he wasn’t getting enough sleep. Honestly, he still was, but at least now he listened when Felix waved him off.

“So you don’t do anything during the day?”

“Of course I do.” He almost decided to leave his response there. The only things he could think of to say would reveal something about his life. _My brother comes first. Haven’t you noticed the espresso every morning? That’s why I’m so grouchy, which is why you compare me to Chloe._ “I run on coffee, but I do get through the day. His schedule is far busier anyway.”

“Would you switch if you could?”

Chat paused. He considered being in Adrien’s place for a moment. The spotlight would be nice, if only for a little while. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to imagine switching. Adrien didn’t deserve that. “No.”

Nino waited to see if Chat Noir was going to add anything onto that statement before realizing he wouldn’t and moving on. He scrolled past a couple questions and settled on one. “Would you give up being Chat Noir, if given the chance?”

Absolutely. In a heartbeat. Felix would do anything to get this godforsaken curse off his ring finger. Chat, however? When he leaped across the rooftops of Paris, he felt free. That was more than he could say for his life. Perfectly scheduled to a point. And Chat Noir, no matter the Chat, was loved. Yes, Felix had his brother. The few people he let within his circle of personal space. But just as he’d said to Adrien the previous night, Felix was just tolerated.

In Nino’s case, Felix was hardly that. But Chat Noir was standing on Nino’s terrace, processing what to say for an answer. He put his hands on the platform’s railing and lifted himself to a less-slouching position. “No. Not for good. Chat Noir is the person I become when I don’t want to be-” _No, don’t say your name,_ he thought as he looked Nino in the eye. “To be what everyone else thinks I am.” His eyes averted. Chat took his hands off the railing, letting them swing by his sides. “I’m not the most liked person outside of costume.”

“I like you,” Nino protested.

Chat let out a breath-filled laugh. “No. You wouldn’t.” He didn’t. “You like Chat Noir. You like the idea of me. If you knew who I was out of costume, you would despise me.”

“That’s not true.” Nino took a step forward, hands tightening around his phone. The screen turned off. “I want to know you, Chat. I want to understand you.”

“You want to know _Chat._ ”

“I want to know _you._ ”

Chat’s hands were balled into fists. No. Nino didn’t understand. He couldn’t compare him to Chloe and then ask to get to know each other. His gaze turned to Nino, who was far closer than he remembered. He was surely scowling in a manner that was incredibly... _Felix_ -like. “Then prove it.”

Everything happened incredibly quickly. Nino swung off his hat and tossed it to the ground, shoving his phone into his pocket with his opposite hand. He stepped the rest of the way to Chat Noir. Chat retaliated. _This is it,_ he thought. _I’ve crossed a line. And now I’m going to die. He’s going to kill me._ Instead, though, Nino’s hands cupped the sides of Chat’s face. 

Chat didn’t even have time to think before Nino was kissing him.

Kissing him.

Oh shit.

It was over before Chat had even realized what was going on. Nino was leaning away tentatively. His grip weakened on Chat’s face, faltering. Chat leaned away. “I have to go,” he sputtered out. He jumped over the side of the terrace railing and side-shuffled to the building before crawling to the roof and running away.

He didn’t stop until he got to his bedroom, detransforming before he even hit the ground. Plagg was immediately in tears with laughter. Felix stood in shock for a moment. Adrien wasn’t in his bedroom, which was probably good. He didn’t need his twin knowing about this.

“Shut up, Plagg,” Felix muttered. It was half-hearted at best. He shuffled into his pajamas and under the covers. “Adrien won’t hear about this. Unless you want to go without cheese for a week.”

Plagg didn’t rest at all that night. He was “getting it out of his system” by laughing so loudly it kept Felix awake. That wasn’t the only thing that kept him up, of course.

Part of it was that his heart was beating out of his chest, and it never went for this long after he detransformed. He wanted so badly to blame it on the adrenaline rush, on the shock of his lips pressed against someone else’s.

That wasn’t it, though. It was that he actually liked it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requests? Comments? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	4. Private Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Felix waited in silence. His hand balled into a fist against the door. “I don’t think I should,” Nino mumbled. Oh thank god. If he had said it was Chat Noir, Adrien would have unleashed hellfire upon Felix._

Nino stood in absolute shock as he watched Chat leave. He stayed still until after Chat had left his sight. His lips still felt like they were buzzing. He couldn’t figure out what to think. He had kissed the superhero he’d always wanted to be as close as possible with.

And that was probably the last interaction he would ever have with Chat. He realized this with a sense of dread and a ridiculous amount of regret. He picked his hat up from the ground and dusted it off. 

Of course, he got about as much sleep as Felix. That is to say _none_. He shuffled into class the next day and slumped into his seat beside Adrien. Felix, two rows back, watched him come in. Heat rose to his face, which he pointedly ignored.

He wouldn’t deny that his eyes tended to drift a lot more to Nino that day, but he wasn’t going to bring it up either. He dragged through class with lethargy and one cup of coffee. Adrien agreed to meet him outside the locker room to go for lunch and watched him with worry.

“Are you sure you're okay?” Adrien had asked. “It doesn't look like you got much sleep.”

“I stayed out a little too late as Chat last night. I'm fine.” Felix had waved him off and walked away.

Now, Felix resisted the urge to slump against the doorframe. He put a hand to the door and nearly pushed it open when he heard Adrien’s voice.

“What do you need help with?” he was asking someone. Felix paused. 

“I think I messed things up,” Nino sighed. Felix froze in his tracks. He should leave. He should go wait for Adrien somewhere else. But instead he was frozen in place, listening to Nino. “I’ve been talking to this guy. And I thought things were going great, and I had serious feelings for him.” Adrien must have known Nino was some sort of _anything but straight_ , because he didn’t interrupt him. “I think I crossed a line last night.”

“What happened?” Adrien replied. 

“I kissed him.” A bout of silence passed.

Adrien was likely staring at Nino with his jaw to the floor. “You _what_? Who was it?”

Felix waited in silence. His hand balled into a fist against the door. “I don’t think I should,” Nino mumbled. Oh thank god. If he had said it was Chat Noir, Adrien would have unleashed hellfire upon Felix. Not that Adrien wouldn’t keep trying to get it out of Nino, but his secret was safe for now. 

“Does he go here?” Silence. Adrien hummed in thought. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?” More silence. “What did he do?”

“He just... _left_.” Nino sounded dejected, his voice trailing away. Felix’s hand moved away from the doorframe. He wanted to burst in there and say he was sorry, but that wasn’t really an option. “He said he had to go and left.”

“That’s it?” Adrien asked. “He just left?” Silence. “He was probably just shocked. He didn’t know how to react. Give him space and time to figure everything out, and then talk to him. Communication is key, Nino.”

Felix sighed in time with Nino. Adrien made a good point. Communication was important, and he hadn’t even made an attempt to talk last night. Then again, could you really blame him? He took a deep breath and pushed through the doorway.

Nino and Adrien were immediately looking at him. Adrien dropped his hand from Nino’s shoulder. “Sorry,” Felix said. “Am I interrupting something?”

Adrien shook his head. “No. Are you ready to go?”

Felix nodded. “We're just going home for lunch, right?”

“Yeah.” He turned to Nino. “You can come over too, if you want.”

Nino glanced at Felix. He shook his head and looked back at Adrien. “I don't think so. Your dad's probably not over what happened on your birthday.” 

Felix rolled his eyes. “I doubt he'll hold that over you. And he's not at home today regardless.” Why was he defending Nino? This was not usual. Adrien was staring at him with an expression that blatantly said _what the hell_. Even Nino watched him with surprise.

Adrien looked to Nino. “Yeah. Our dad's on a trip. He's not coming back until tomorrow.”

Nino looked between the twins. “Okay,” he agreed with hesitation. “Alright. I just gotta call my mom. I'll catch up with you guys, okay?”

“Sounds good,” Adrien said. He waved to Nino and started out, practically dragging Felix by the forearm alongside him. “What was that?”

“What was what?” Felix asked. He steadied himself. 

“Since when are you nice to Nino? I thought you two thrived on witty banter and hatred.” He let go of Felix's forearm in favor of making wild and confused hand gestures. 

Plagg peeked out from his shirt. “I think I have an idea,” he muttered with a smirk.

Adrien put his head back in the shirt with one finger. “What is he talking about?” he asked with narrowed eyes.

“I wouldn't know.” Despite himself, Felix was _blushing_. Adrien's eyes widened.

“Wait. Are you- Did you-?”

“No,” Felix protested. “Yes. No. Kind of. It wasn't me. It was Chat Noir. The nighttime one. Which he knows.” Stop rambling. Stop it. He felt the blush crawling from the top of his face down his neck now.

“And you left?” Adrien asked. “Why would you leave?”

“I panicked. I was letting him interview me, and words were exchanged, and then he kissed me. I didn't know what to do.” He could almost hear Plagg laughing at how purposefully vague he was being.

Adrien sighed and resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Why am I the only one with social skills?” he muttered. “Well, do you like him?”

“I-” Okay, where was Felix going with this? He cut himself off before he could say something stupid and tried to think. He had to admit, he still found Nino to be the bane of his existence. And vice versa. But last night was something he had actually been looking forward to. He had wanted to see Nino. The idea of liking someone disgusted him. He didn't need that. The complications that came with a crush. And yet, there was Nino. His face twisted in frustration. “I think so.”

Plagg muttered something from the interior of Adrien's shirt. “He says you having emotions is a surprise,” Adrien relayed. Felix scowled.

“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requests? Questions? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	5. Fight/Resolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix stood up fully and let his arms swing to his sides. “Don't strain yourself, Nino. I know I'm not very kind.”
> 
> “It's not that,” Nino said, meeting his eyes again. “You remind me of someone I know.”

Felix was five seconds away from letting his head fall on the table in front of him. Or going upstairs. Natalie moving in and out of the room kept him from doing that, but it didn't mean he was any happier. Adrien and Nino were trying to finish homework Felix had already done. Felix's homework was sitting a foot away from him, in a neat pile. 

“I don't think that's right,” Adrien muttered, pointing to a question with his pen.

“It's not,” Felix agreed. 

Nino looked at him. “And how are you so sure?”

“I double checked my answers.” Felix raised an eyebrow and looked him dead in the eye. Nino looked back at his paper and started muttering about steps. Felix was absolutely blushing. At least it was still early enough in the year that he could blame it on the summer heat. Adrien shot him a glance. Felix reminded himself to strangle Plagg when he got a chance.

Adrien excused himself to go to the bathroom. Felix watched Nino redo the problem he'd gotten wrong and whisper a quiet “oh” when he found out what he'd done wrong. Felix wanted to kick himself for how his eyes kept darting up to Nino's face, how his mind kept going back to last night. 

It was silent in the mansion. Aside from Natalie's heels clicking down the hall and the boys' quiet breathing, it was perfectly quiet. 

That made it all the easier to hear a crash just down the street.

Both Felix and Nino looked in the general direction for a couple seconds before standing and running to the windows. The sound wasn't a crash; a crash was just once. No, half the street was overcome with rapidly closing doors and windows. 

“It's an akuma,” Nino mumbled. “Oh god.” The crashing noise was getting closer. Felix noted Chat Noir coming in from the side. The sight simultaneously made him sigh in relief and tense in fear. 

Felix pulled an awe-struck away from the window just as it started flapping wildly by wrapping his arms around him and practically throwing him against the table. The doors started flapping in time, too quickly for them to possibly pass through. Felix was half-convinced they would fly off the hinges. 

Nino unraveled himself from Felix, distracted by the flapping windows. “This is insane,” he muttered. Felix leaned against the table, face flushed. Through the window, they could see the beginnings of a battle in the distance. The akuma was certainly brightly colored, that much was for sure. They watched a red dot and a black dot dance around the villain.

“Looks like we'll be here a while,” Felix sighed. He folded his arms. “Provided the doors don't fly off their hinges.”

Nino made a passing noise that sounded like laughter. “Should we hide under the table or something?”

Felix shrugged. “We should be fine.”

They stood in silence for a while, watching what of the battle they could see. Even from here, Felix could see Chat use his Cataclysm. Ladybug's yoyo flashed a bright red light when it gave her a Lucky Charm, but he hadn't seen that yet.

After a good ten minutes, Nino turned to Felix. Felix looked at him as he floundered for words. “I-” He paused. He was fidgeting with his headphones again. “I know I compare you to Chloe a lot. And I act like you're a really bad guy. And we have an acquaintanceship built on hatred.” His eyes averted to the battle, but he kept looking for words. Felix noted the red flash of light in the distance. “But I know you treat Adrien right. You're a good brother.”

Felix made sure he was finished talking. Nino's face was flushed, and he was still fidgeting with his headphones. Felix stood up fully and let his arms swing to his sides. “Don't strain yourself, Nino. I know I'm not very kind.”

“It's not that,” Nino said, meeting his eyes again. “You remind me of someone I know.”

Chat Noir. He was talking about Chat Noir. A better person would leave it at that and not press forward. But Felix wasn't exactly the greatest person, and he knew it. “I remind you of someone?” They were both red in the face. “Who?”

“It's not important.” He looked back at the battle and stopped messing with his headphones. “He's a good guy though. Even if he doesn't think so. And I know you are too.”

And so was Nino. Felix forced down the flush in his cheeks. “You’re a good friend. Adrien’s lucky to have you as one.” A good kisser too, but of course Felix wasn’t going to _say_ that. 

Before Nino could say anything, a rather familiar light spread through Paris. The doors and windows stopped swinging. “We should go make sure Adrien’s okay,” Nino suggested and took off. Felix swore under his breath and followed him. Please let Chat not flirt today. Felix couldn’t deal with this. 

Nino tore up the stairs, Felix close on his heels. They ran down the hall to Adrien’s bedroom.

They were only a few feet away when Adrien pushed out of his room and into the hall, clearly about to go after them. Felix breathed a sigh of relief. “What happened?” Adrien asked. “I was in the bathroom and the door just started swinging-”

“It was an akuma!” Nino started. He launched into detail about the battle, or at least what he had seen of it. Felix waited patiently by as he explained. He wanted to hear about the battle from Chat Noir himself, but apparently that would have to wait. 

Felix checked his watch sometime mid-rant. “We should head back to the school.”

Nino nodded, still talking. The three of them started walking alongside each other. Nino didn’t stop explaining all through gathering their things and walking out. Felix led the way. Adrien nodded along with everything Nino said, adding _whoa_ s and _no way_ s as if he wasn’t there himself. Alya pulled Nino aside a block from the school. Adrien caught up to Felix.

“Who models an akuma after a hummingbird?” Adrien groaned. “My eyes still hurt.”

“It took you a while, too.” Felix began stepping up the stairs. Marinette fell alongside Adrien, Alya and Nino not far behind.

Unsurprisingly, Alya was talking about the Ladyblog. “So Ladybug has 18326 votes, and Chat Noir has 14161. Which doesn’t seem like a close call until you put it in percent. And it’s a six point difference!”

Nino shook his head. “Chat Noir could win over Ladybug any day.”

Marinette raised her eyebrows. “Are you really still talking about the whole fair fight thing?”

“Yes,” Nino and Alya said in time. 

“And Ladybug could kick Chat’s spandex-covered ass any day,” Alya disagreed.

They launched into an entirely new argument while the other three watched them. Felix couldn’t help but feel like Nino was defending Chat’s side simply because of his feelings. He’d only said Chat Noir because he knew how strong his brother could be in the suit, but it seemed they were evenly matched. Maybe Alya should have added a third option to her poll: a draw. 

He almost didn’t want to go to patrol that night, but he knew he needed to. For multiple reasons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really bad at responding to comments, but I swear I read every single one. Thank you all so much for the support and the feedback. I plan on continuing this, and I already have at least a couple chapters planned out.   
> Requests (which I'm totally taking)? Questions? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com (and I track the tag #pixelliest).


	6. Communication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do you not want to?”
> 
> Chat sighed, his breath ghosting across Nino’s lips. “I do. I really want to. But I see two immediate problems. One is that the thing that gives me powers is not going to like this. The other is that the little shit is going to run right to the daytime Chat Noir and give him all the details.” He opened his eyes. Nino’s hazel eyes stared back. “And as much as I love him, I’m already never going to hear the end of this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! Back on track! Things are happening! Let's go!
> 
> Also, I'm really bad at responding to comments. So if I don't get to yours, I'm really sorry - I just have no idea what to say. But I promise I read every single one and take them to heart! Thank you so much for commenting if you do, and if you don't, I would love feedback and constructive criticism! (And also requests of what you'd like to see in this fic pls Help me slow this down)

Nino leaned against the terrace railing. The few stars above dazzled against a dark sky. The Eiffel Tower in the distance was illuminated, casting light over the city. Below, few cars passed. It was after dark and the night was settling into a quiet peace. Nino took his hat off and held it in his hand.

Paris was incredible at night. Perhaps the akuma attacks dulled its splendor, but Paris was the city of love. And with love came happiness. Looking out over the city, Nino could see how it was called that. If only he could revel in it for himself.

Lost in his thoughts, his hand loosened. His cap fell a few stories to the ground below. He reached after it as if he could catch it, but he only managed to knock it over a bit. He watched it fall to the concrete. For a moment, he just stared at it. Like if he stared at it long enough, it would miraculously come back and he wouldn’t have to climb three flights of stairs to retrieve it.

No such luck. He sighed and turned. He got to the door when he heard an oddly familiar voice from the railing.

“Drop this?” Chat Noir asked. Nino turned. Chat was balanced in a crouch on his railing. In his gloved hand was Nino’s hat.

Nino turned to face Chat. He only stared for a moment. Chat waited with an expectant raise of his eyebrow. “You came back,” Nino thought aloud.

Felix hoped that Nino couldn’t see the blush that was forming across his cheeks. He hopped down from the railing and held the hat out to Nino. “I wanted to apologize for just leaving last night.” Nino took the cap. Chat let his arms swing down by his sides. “I was unsure of how to react.”

He could clearly see Nino’s face flushing in the lights of Paris. Nino slid his cap on and looked to the side. “Yeah. I’m sorry for just _doing that_.” Chat resisted the urge to smile at his awkwardness. “I should have said something before. Communication is key, right?”

_Did he just._ Chat pursed his lips. Nino just quoted Adrien, didn’t he? Word for word. And Chat couldn’t even respond with another of Adrien’s cheesy quotes, because that would give him away. _This has suddenly gotten five hundred times harder._ “Yeah.”

“So,” Nino tried. “Communication.” He took a deep breath and met Chat’s eyes again. “I really do want to know you. The person behind the mask. Not your identity, obviously. But I want to know you for who you really are.”

Chat leaned against the terrace railing. This scene seemed far too familiar, but they were talking for once. “You know nothing about me. I’m the Chat Noir that isn’t on anything. You love the idea of me.”

“Then let me love you,” Nino said. The words slipped out of his mouth so easily, Chat would think he had rehearsed them. Perhaps he had. The thought of Nino practicing ways to say he loved Chat in the mirror stirred something within Felix. A certain emotion.

_Fuck._ Well, may as well give in. 

Chat stepped forward, close enough to Nino that he could see his face grow warmer. He was only slightly taller than Nino. Without the boots, they were even height. Chat paused with his hand on the brim of Nino’s hat. “I want to kiss you,” he said.

Nino nodded. “Yeah. No protest here.”

With one swift movement, Chat lifted Nino’s hat away and wrapped his hands around the back of Nino’s neck. He felt Nino’s arms wrap around his waist as his own hands interlocked and he pulled Nino in.

Felix knew in some distant part of his mind that this was a bad idea. He was only falling deeper into his own personal hell of emotions. But Nino had just said that day that he didn’t despise Felix. So that was a step up, right?

Oh Fu, he was _screwed._ He pressed deeper into the kiss.

“This is a bad idea,” Chat said when he came up for air. 

“Probably,” Nino agreed. He rested his forehead against Chat’s. “Do you not want to?”

Chat sighed, his breath ghosting across Nino’s lips. “I do. I really want to. But I see two immediate problems. One is that the thing that gives me powers is not going to like this. The other is that the little shit is going to run right to the daytime Chat Noir and give him all the details.” He opened his eyes. Nino’s hazel eyes stared back. “And as much as I love him, I’m already never going to hear the end of this.”

Nino pulled back. “A living thing gives you powers?” He raised his eyebrows, a smile pulling at his lips. “What are you, a magical girl?”

Chat’s eyes narrowed. “I could leave.”

He felt the grip on the back of his suit get tighter. “No,” Nino laughed. “I’m just kind of amused.”

“Why is that?”

“You just broke the two ground rules you set in the interview last night.”

Chat’s eyebrows furrowed. Ground rules. No powers talk and nothing about his civilian life. Oh. “Damn it,” he whispered, closing his eyes.

Nino laughed. “It’s okay. I won’t say anything. But now I have to ask. You know the daytime Chat, right?”

“Yeah,” Chat sighed. His hands slipped from Nino’s neck to his shoulders. The red hat was still in his hand, captured between two fingers. 

“Is he cool?”

Chat laughed. “He’s such a dork. He has Ladybug action figures in his room.” Sure, others thought he was cool. But Adrien was the biggest dork Felix knew.

“What, you don’t?” Nino joked.

“I’ll have you know my room is shockingly bare. I keep it minimalist, if anything.” Chat knew it was a bad idea to continue on, but Nino just laughed.

“How very hipster of you, Chat.” He paused. Chat could almost see the gears in his head turning. “If I gave you a poster, would you put it up in your room?”

_Bad idea. Bad idea. Bad idea-_ “Yes.” _What is wrong with me._

Nino grinned and pulled himself away from Chat. “I’ll be right back,” he said. He turned and went inside. Chat stood on the terrace. He put Nino’s hat on his head to the best of his ability. Which ended up being a lopsided fixture pushed from center by one leather ear. Nino returned with a rolled up poster in his hands, fixed with tape. “This has been under my bed forever. I fell out of touch with the band, and I don’t know what music you listen to, but it’s a cool poster. It’s signed.”

Chat took the poster in his hands. The back was on the outside. “What band is it?”

“The Mindless Diverse. They’re a band from America, their music’s pretty great.” He paused, watching Chat look down the inside of the poster. The cap slipped to literally hanging off of one leather ear. “What kind of music do you listen to, anyway?”

“Primarily orchestral music. But the daytime Chat listens to a lot of pop. So I’m exposed to that quite a bit.” He looked up at Nino. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” The remark about daytime Chat obviously didn’t go unnoticed, but he didn’t talk about it. Nino fished his phone out of his pocket. “It’s getting late. I have school tomorrow.”

Chat nodded. “I should be going then.” He held the cap out to Nino. “I’ll visit again tomorrow night.” He phrased it more as a question.

“Yeah. That would be nice.” He took the hat and fixed it on his head. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

_Oh yeah. You definitely will._ Chat smiled. “Goodnight, Nino.” Poster in hand, he scrambled to the rooftop and bounded away into the night.

Nino watched him go, a fond smile touching his lips. Not only did he not mess things up with Chat, but he was going to get another visit. Things were starting to turn up perfectly. “Goodnight, Chat Noir.”

God, he was so in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Headcanon: Adrien's music taste is primarily top 40 and anime soundtracks. And Felix hates it.
> 
> Requests? Questions? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	7. Eventually

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You will pry the headcanon that Adrien is the #1 Nino/Felix shipper to ever exist from my _cold dead hands._
> 
> Oh and just in case, something to note that I haven’t explained: in this branch, there’s only one Ladybug. So Felix doesn’t have to deal with that shit. Marinette’s dating Adrien, but they haven’t revealed identities yet.

Chat swung into his bedroom holding the poster close to his chest. He took a deep breath to steel himself and released his transformation. Plagg was talking before he was fully out of the ring. “You talked to him! And you kissed him! Oh my Fu, you’re so screwed!” Plagg was laughing hysterically before he even got the words out.

A knock at Felix’s door shut Plagg up. Felix set the poster on his bed and walked to it hesitantly. Behind the door, Adrien was standing with a grin. “I heard Plagg laughing from my room. How’d it go?”

Felix sighed and waved Adrien in. “It went surprisingly well. I’m visiting him again tomorrow.”

Adrien sat on Felix’s bed and stared at him for a while. When it became clear he wasn’t going to say any more, he turned to Plagg. “So how’d it go?”

Plagg grinned. “They kissed! And while I hate that he kissed him while I’m stuck there with nothing to distract myself, Felix was into it. And Nino gave him a poster.” The kwami pointed to the rolled up poster on Felix’s bed.

“A poster?” Adrien turned and grabbed the poster. Felix watched as Adrien unrolled it. “Oh my god. He gave you a signed poster. I’ve never seen this on his wall.”

“He said it’s been under his bed,” Felix explained. “He doesn’t listen to them anymore.”

Adrien studied the poster over. “So you’re gonna put it up, right?”

“I probably shouldn’t, right? What if Nino somehow sees it?”

“Since when would you willingly let Nino into your room?” Adrien said from behind the poster. He pulled the top down to look at Felix with a raised eyebrow. Felix could almost see the Chat Noir smirk under the poster.

“Good point,” Felix agreed. He snatched the poster away. He looked around his room. One spot presented itself beside his closet. “Do you have any tape?”

“I’ll be right back.” Adrien raced out of Felix’s room and was back in record time, roll of tape in-hand.

Felix adjusted the poster until it was just right and taped it up, Adrien and Plagg looking on. The bright colors and bold font contrasted with the monochrome of Felix’s room. The autograph was signed in silver permanent marker at the bottom.

“To the coolest DJ ever - Scarlett Selica” 

There was no mistaking that this poster was not Felix’s. It was Nino’s. And now Felix had it. Well, Chat had it but Nino didn’t know-

Felix sighed. “I need to sleep.” This was all getting far to complicated for him at this hour of night. He plodded toward his bed and fell face-first into the comforter.

Adrien sat on the edge of the bed. “You realize you’re still in your day clothes, right?”

The bed’s blanket muffled Felix’s groan. Plagg snickered. Felix turned his head to the side. “I don’t even care. Just leave me to die. I can’t deal with this- this-” He grasped for the word.

“Crush?”

A flush rose to Felix’s cheeks. “Yes.” Adrien would have seen straight though him if he said no, and he knew it. Felix refused to look him in the eye.

“But the real question is, how will you deal with this in school tomorrow?”

“Lots of espresso and avoiding Nino at all costs.”

Adrien sighed and shooed a laughing Plagg away. “Is a crush really a good idea when he’s in love with one side of you and can barely tolerate the other?”

“On the contrary,” Felix said with a finger up. “While you were battling the hummingbird akuma, we had a talk. Apparently I remind him of someone I know. And the way he said it very much implied that it was Chat Noir. So he can’t absolutely hate me, right?”

“Felix.” Adrien paused to look for the words. Plagg rested on Felix’s desk. “I don’t want you to regret what little emotion you have. Nino’s a great kid. I’m just afraid you’ll be disappointed.”

“So am I,” Felix muttered. “Was it like this for you, with Marinette?”

“There’s a reason she doesn’t know I’m Chat Noir yet.” Adrien’s shoulders dropped. “I was terrified she wouldn’t like me back. To this day, I’m afraid of what would happen if she found out my other side. She’s not the fondest of Chat Noir, you know.”

“So we’re having the exact opposite problem,” Felix joked with a smile.

Adrien laughed. “I guess so.”

The two let a silence pass between them. Adrien rested his elbows on his knees. Felix rolled onto his side. “Marinette wouldn’t tell anyone, you know. She’s a sweet girl.”

Adrien lifted his head to glare out of the corner of his eye at Felix. “That was the worst pun I’ve heard in forever.” He straightened up. “But neither would Nino.”

“If only that was the only problem we had to worry about,” Felix sighed. He finally stood up to get his pajamas on. “Do you think you’ll ever tell her?”

Adrien didn’t answer for a long time. Long enough for Felix to wonder if he’d heard the question. “Maybe one day. She’s bound to find out eventually, right?”

Felix shrugged on a t-shirt. “Yeah. Eventually.”

And Nino would find out eventually, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requests? Questions? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com
> 
> I'm still taking requests for what should happen in this fic, and I appreciate any feedback that comes my way! If you have any other requests, drop me an ask. <3
> 
> And since I'm ahead, the next chapter is named 'Spill It'


	8. Spill It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this many chapters comes a legitimate schedule.  
> I'll be updating Mondays and Fridays from now on, because I have no self control and I need to exercise some.
> 
> That being said, I'm still taking requests for this fic, this ship, this fandom and beyond. If it's for this fic, comment below. If it's for anything else, please message me over at pixelliest.tumblr.com/ask .
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Just like every other day, the day was dragging on as _slow as humanly possible._ Felix downed another gulp of his espresso. It seemed especially bitter today. _Well, at least my coffee matches my personality,_ he thought with a smirk.

The four ahead of him were having a conversation rather than doing their work, which is exactly what Felix expected. 

“You and Marinette can’t stay away from each other,” Nino teased Adrien.

Adrien laughed. “At least it’s not as bad as your crush,” he muttered.

If Felix heard that, Alya definitely heard it too. “You have a crush?” she gasped. There was a spark in her eye that three of them had only ever seen when she was chasing down Ladybug. They all realized immediately that Adrien had made a huge mistake. "So who's the lucky girl?" Alya leaned forward in her seat, shooting a smirk at Nino. Felix glanced up from his work to watch the conversation.

Nino was blushing like a rose. His eyes were wide, staring straight at Alya. "I thought I told you."

Alya narrowed her eyes. "You never told me who it was. I would remember that. You never even told me you had one."

"Oh no, it's not that," Nino said. "I, uh." He stammered for words. His gaze met Felix's. Felix looked down at his work, cheeks flushing against his will. “Um-”

"He's gay," Marinette said without looking up. 

The three tables fell into absolute silence. "Yeah," Nino said after a moment. "What Mari said."

Alya considered for a couple seconds. "Excuse me. Who's the lucky guy?"

Marinette sighed despite a spreading smile. “Oh my god, Alya.”

“It’s my duty to find things out. And if one of those things is Nino’s crush, I will do it.” She leaned forward further, practically over the desk. Felix snuck a look at the conversation.

“I don’t even know the guy,” Nino defended. “I just think he’s-” Ah, what was the word? “Nice.” Well, not what Felix would have gone with. Then again, he did have a tendency to stroke his own ego. Nobody else was going to do it. He kept his head pointed down but raised his eyes to watch the group.

Alya raised her eyebrows. “Who is it?”

Nino was going to lie. Felix could see it in his eyes. “It’s Chat Noir,” he muttered. It wasn’t technically a lie, but by all accounts, it was. 

Alya let out a _psh._ “Who doesn’t have a crush on at least one of the superheros?”

Marinette looked up at Alya with a raised eyebrow. “And who do you have a crush on?”

“I run the Ladyblog. Take a wild guess.”

“Fair enough.” Marinette looked back to her work, though Felix could swear he saw a bit of blush on her cheeks before she did. Adrien sat back in his chair to look up at Marinette.

“So Nino,” Alya began, “what gave you a sudden interest in Chat Noir?”

Nino returned to his previous state of blushing bright red as he tried to stammer out his response. “I got a chance to talk to him,” Nino managed. Felix took a little bit of pride in the fact that he was the one that had brought him to this. “He was pretty great.”

“In how many ways?” Alya teased.

“It’s not like that!” Nino’s blush grew deeper. Felix hid a small smirk. It absolutely was. “He was nice. I’m a sucker for green eyes.”

Adrien leaned across the table and put a hand under his chin. “Really?”

Nino glared at him. “Sorry, but something about you just puts me off,” he said in a sarcastic tone. That night Chat was really rubbing off on him, huh?

“Well, I’m not the only one in this class with green eyes,” Adrien joked.

Felix raised his glance to Adrien, eyes narrowing and face twisting into a glare. “If something about _you_ puts Nino off, I’d hope he sees a neon sign over me saying _stay away_.”

The other four laughed. Felix’s glare softened and he sat straight. Marinette apparently gave up completely on her homework, as she put her pencil down and stretched in her seat. Felix was attentive for the rest of the conversation. Alya talked about the poll and how she was going to settle the score while the others listened on.

For the most part, Felix’s mind fast-forwarded through the day. Work, conversation, work, dinner, conversation, and his favorite part of the day: patrol. 

Ladybug was sitting atop a ledge of the Eiffel Tower when Chat arrived. “Good evening, my lady,” he greeted from behind. 

She turned her head and smiled at him. “Good evening, _minou_.”

He sat beside her on the ledge. They had plenty of time, as Chat had arrived far too early. “How was your day?” He looked over the lights of Paris. The bustling city was just as beautiful as every night. Both of the superheros smiled.

“It was interesting. I got my homework done early, so that’s a change.”

“Always a welcome one.”

She laughed. “Oh, there was one thing that’s been with me all day. My friends and I were having a conversation about crushes on Ladybug and Chat Noir, right? And both my boyfriend and best friend said they've at some point had a crush on me.” _Wait, what?_ Not the boyfriend part. Chat knew that. But was she- “And then this kid I'm friends with said he had a crush on Chat Noir, so don’t worry. You’re not chopped liver. But apparently it’s a common thing for people to have crushes on us.”

When she looked over at him with a smile, she probably expected a flirting remark. Or perhaps a loud laugh. What Felix knew she didn’t expect was him staring at her in complete and utter shock. “ _Minou_?” she asked with a tilt of her head.

Chat took a second to work up the courage to speak. “Marinette?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requests? Comments? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	9. Terrace Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “My brother puts far too much faith in you.” Chat sighed. “Nothing official. He noticed there were two Chat Noirs, and I’m indulging his journalistic streak.”
> 
> “I didn’t know he even had one of those.”
> 
> “I think Alya’s rubbing off on him.” Chat looked in the direction of Nino’s house. In all honesty, he wouldn’t be expecting Chat for another hour or so. But Chat was already itching to meet him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My chapter summary is weak. Sorry about that.

“Ladybug, come back!” Chat yelled across the street. He readied a leap to continue chasing after her.

She stopped for just a moment and stood to spin her yo-yo at her side. “How’d you know? Who are you?” Her voice was broken and _terrified_. Felix had forgotten just how much her identity meant to her. And not realized just how badly he’d fucked up.

He leaped across to the rooftop she was standing on and started approaching her. “Marinette, it’s okay-”

“Stop calling me that!” she screamed. She shifted to spin her yo-yo between them, face twisting into a determined expression. Chat took a step away and put his hands up.

“Okay. Okay. It’s okay. Listen, I’ll tell you who I am. Just take a deep breath, Ladybug.” 

She didn’t stop staring at him. Her chest heaved as her yo-yo made a final arc and fell. Her expression softened to concern. “No. You can’t tell me. The other Chat-”

“Will understand,” Chat interrupted. “Slip of the tongue, accidental reveal, I’ll reciprocate to put your mind at ease.”

Felix could see that a million things were running through her mind. He stayed stock still until she could decide. She looked him up and down. “You heard the conversation. You’re in my class.”

“Yes.” His hands lowered to elbow-level.

“You share a resemblance to someone very close to you.” She narrowed her eyes, considering. Her yo-yo went to her side. Her eyes widened. “Felix?”

He smiled. “In the spandex catsuit.” He dropped his hands to his sides.

“But that means-” Ladybug pursed her lips. “Adrien,” she muttered. “My boyfriend is the other Chat Noir.”

“In the other spandex catsuit,” Felix conceded.

Ladybug seemed to be stuck in a strange trance. Her lips were pursed in a tight line as she stared out into space. Chat started approaching her with a light foot. “Um, Ladybug?”

“Ladybug isn’t here right now. Please leave a message.” Her voice was monotone. Her eyes didn’t refocus. But the tiniest of smiles proved she wasn’t actually having a mental breakdown.

He approached her the rest of the way and put a hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t you go home? I’ll handle patrol for tonight.” 

She raised an eyebrow, hands flying to her hips. “You know, I’ve noticed you staying out later than me lately. Why is that?”

Felix tried not to let any emotion show despite the rising blush. He shrugged. “Fresh air is good for the soul. Aside from that, you need to figure out what you’re going to do about Adrien.”

Ladybug looked away, arms dropping. “I should tell him, shouldn’t I?”

“You should take things at your own pace. Adrien will understand if you aren’t ready. I’ll tell him you know, of course, but if you aren’t ready, neither of us would push you.”

She smiled at him. “Thank you, _minou_.” She stepped closer to him. “But in the meantime, what _do_ you do after I leave patrol?”

Was it too late to run away? Felix was very close to bolting. He cracked an anxious smile. “I just run around Paris for a while. It’s a beautiful city.”

“True,” Ladybug murmured. “It is the city of love, after all.”

Oh, she knew something. She definitely knew something. It was written on the smug grin pointed toward the Eiffel Tower. “What are you implying?” Chat asked with narrowed eyes.

“I’m just realizing something.” Ladybug shifted away from him. “I know Chat. Daytime Chat hasn’t interacted with Nino since Jackady. And even that’s a little hazy. Nighttime Chat, however,” Ladybug let her words trail away as she glided across the rooftop.

“Ladybug.” Felix meant it as a wary warning. But his heart was pounding in his chest.

“It’s alright, Chat. I won’t tell anyone that you’ve been talking to Nino.” Talking was a vast understatement, and they both knew it. “Does Adrien know?”

“Plagg is horrible at keeping secrets. Of course he does.” Felix was sure that if Plagg didn’t want Adrien to know, he wouldn’t. But as it stood, Plagg was a smug little shit. It was just easier to say he was horrible at keeping secrets.

“And what does this talking entail?”

He really should have seen that question coming. “Just talking.” 

“You know Adrien told me about your tells ages ago, right?”

“My brother puts far too much faith in you.” Chat sighed. “Nothing official. He noticed there were two Chat Noirs, and I’m indulging his journalistic streak.”

“I didn’t know he even had one of those.”

“I think Alya’s rubbing off on him.” Chat looked in the direction of Nino’s house. In all honesty, he wouldn’t be expecting Chat for another hour or so. But Chat was already itching to meet him again.

Ladybug giggled. “Well, let’s go then.” She flung her yo-yo around the chimney of an adjoining building.

“You’re doing patrol?”

“Not right now. We’re going to Nino’s.” She gave a tiny tug on the string and sent herself flying.

Chat stared after her for a split two seconds before chasing after her. “Wait, Ladybug, no!”

Her laughter spread behind her as she flew through the air. “Why not? I won’t tell him who either of us are. I just want to meet him.” She spared one hand to put air-quotes around _meet_.

“I don’t even know if he’s ready to meet me, Ladybug.” Chat was gaining on her. His mind flashed back to that godforsaken poll. He shook it from his mind and pushed forward.

She stopped and let him catch up. A look around told them they were about a block away from Nino’s. “Well if he isn’t, we can just go on patrol and come back. He knows you’re coming tonight, right?” She gave him a smile. “Or is it a special surprise?”

Chat came to rest ahead of Ladybug. He rolled his eyes. “I told him I was coming tonight, but I was planning on after patrol.”

“It’s fine. Let’s go. I’ll race you there.” She shot her yo-yo forward, narrowly missing him and ruffling his hair. He dodged the flying spotted superhero and she shot forward.

“Oh, it is on.” He ran after her. She was standing on the rooftop across from Nino’s when he caught up. “Get down, he’s going to see you.”

“Not likely.” She pointed to the terrace. Nino was slumped against the railing in a seemingly impossible position. His eyes were closed and he partially dangled over the railing. 

Chat hadn’t considered the toll this had taken on Nino. He felt a pit of guilt settle into his stomach. He leaped to Nino’s rooftop, including a somersault. He could almost hear Ladybug calling him a show-off. Chat jumped down to his terrace with light feet. “Nino,” he said with the gentlest tone he could manage. “Wake up, sleepy.”

Nino groaned at his awakening. “Who’s there?”

“Chat Noir, as promised.”

Nino cracked one eye open. “Oh. For a moment I thought - never mind.” He stood up fully and rubbed his eyes. “What time is it?”

“Only eight. You should go to bed if you’re this tired.” Chat laid a hand on Nino’s shoulder.

“I wanted to stay up for you.” Nino was honestly adorable when he was sleepy. “You stay up this late every night.

Chat gave him a smile. “Nino, my bloodstream has been virtually replaced with coffee. Besides, I’m used to this.” He glanced at Ladybug, who was waiting patiently across the street. “You can meet Ladybug tomorrow.”

That woke Nino up. He looked up at Chat with wide eyes. “What about meeting Ladybug?”

Oh, Chat was going to play him like a fiddle. A smirk crawled to his face. “She wanted to meet you, but if you’re this tired-”

“No, no,” Nino interrupted with a grin. “I’m fine. Oh man, if I told Alya about this she would flip. I won’t, of course, but can you imagine?”

Chat very nearly responded with a sentence that implied he knew Alya. “Alya. Is that the girl who runs the Ladyblog?” Nailed it.

“Yeah. She’s a great friend of mine.” He was grinning ear to ear with a smile that was contagious. Chat looked across the street and waved Ladybug over.

With a flick of her yo-yo, she was landing on Nino’s terrace. “Pleasure to meet you,” she greeted. She held out her hand to shake, which Nino took immediately.

“You have no idea.”

Their conversation passed far more easily than Felix thought. Nino drilled her about everything but the ground rules Felix had laid down for his own interview. 

At some point, Ladybug asked the time. “It’s about ten-thirty,” Nino responded with a glance at his phone.

“We should all get to bed,” Ladybug decided. She gave a warning look to Chat. “All of us.”

“I’ll deal with daytime’s drilling when I get back. Goodnight, Ladybug.”

She sighed. “It was nice meeting you, Nino. Goodnight, _minou_.” She waved to both of them and took off. 

Nino and Chat watched her fly across the night. Nino was still dangling over the railing. Chat wrapped an arm around him and pulled him back. “You’re going to fall like that.”

Nino raised an eyebrow at him. “Please, I do it all the time.” He smiled and twisted to face him in his grip. “Are you worried about me?”

And there was that blush. Funny, how it always seemed to appear around Nino. “It’s my job to protect civilians from danger.” Right. That worked.

Or it didn’t, going by how Nino laughed. “Of course.” He looked up at Chat, still smiling. “I am so not going to be able to sleep tonight.”

“You had better. Next time I see you sleeping on the terrace like that, I’m just going home.” That was the emptiest threat he had ever used, and he knew it. 

Nino sighed. His breath ghosted over Felix’s face and the brim of his hat bumped against Felix’s forehead. “Fine. I’ll get some better sleep.” He looked up at Chat. “But only if you kiss me.”

Chat smirked despite the flush covering his face. “Deal.” He pressed his lips to Nino’s. Nino’s hat came halfway off as he deepened the kiss.

“You don’t have somewhere you have to be in the morning?” Nino asked between breathless kissing.

“Of course I do.”

Nino sighed again and pulled away. “Then you should get some sleep too. I don’t want you to fall asleep during class or work or whatever you do.”

Chat smiled. “Thank you for your concern, Nino.” He unwrapped his arm from Nino’s waist. “I guess I should be going then.”

“Yeah.”

“Goodnight, Nino.”

“Goodnight, Chat Noir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternative route for you (inspired by my friends): 
> 
> Nino grumbled at his awakening. “Mmmmm. Felix?”
> 
> Every nerve in Felix’s body seized up. He put a hand on Nino’s still-bowed head. “Who’s Felix? My name is Carl.” He could almost hear Ladybug’s laughter from the other side of the street. He spared a glare at her.
> 
> “Felix, let me go.” Nino pushed against his hand. “What are you doing on my terrace?”
> 
> “But alas, I am not this Felix you speak of. I am Carl.”
> 
> “ _Felix._ ”
> 
>  
> 
> Requests? Comments? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	10. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He ran through his checklist for the day:
> 
> -Tell Adrien that Ladybug found them out.  
> -Get Plagg to stop telling Adrien about his night patrols.  
> -Study group after school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly I'm just really excited
> 
> Message me if you want anything specific in the fic at this point? Also, once I get a little more ahead, I'll be open to taking requests for other ships and stuff. Thank you for all your support and god I can't wait for the next few chapters <3

Felix hadn’t woken up Adrien the previous night. Therefore, Adrien wasn’t nearly as tired. _He_ was making conversation with Marinette in the courtyard. Felix, meanwhile, had his head to the desk. He registered someone coming in but didn’t look up to check who it was. He ran through his checklist for the day:

-Tell Adrien that Ladybug found them out.  
-Get Plagg to stop telling Adrien about his night patrols.  
-Study group after school.

That didn’t seem so bad. The last one, anyway. He contemplated how he could tell Adrien the news. Maybe he could just slip him a note. Marinette would probably pass it to him. Part of him wanted to know how she would treat him now. She had always been tolerant (if not particularly affectionate) of Felix, but she placed a much higher caliber of trust in Chat Noir. Both of them.

His thoughts were interrupted by Alya coming in. “Nino! Glad I could find you.” It sounded passive-aggressive. “Is he asleep?”

Someone (Nino, he supposed) turned in his seat. “Yeah, I think so. What’s the matter?” He heard the sound of Nino turning back in his chair. He felt like he should go. Whatever Alya had to say, it could be private.

At the front of the room, Alya grinned. “Let me tell you how my night went. I was going for a lovely stroll through my neighborhood when, lo and behold, I saw Ladybug and Chat Noir bounding through the night sky.” Oh shit. “Imagine my surprise when Chat Noir jumps over to your terrace, followed soon after by Ladybug.” _Oh shit._ “So I hung around a bit out of curiosity, of course. And I saw Ladybug leave. Followed almost immediately by a certain cat-eared superhero _shoving his tongue down your throat.” **Oh shit.**_

Felix pursed his lips. How had he not seen Alya standing there? Where had she been? Oh god. He fucked up. Nino blanched. “Alya, it’s not what it looks like-”

“Oh, and what is it exactly?” She shook her head. “God, I should have known your crush was more than just that.”

“Alya-” Nino cut off. “Be quiet. You’ll wake up Felix.”

Alya sighed. “What’s going on, Nino? And why couldn’t you tell me?”

Nino shifted in his seat. “I figured something out about him and asked if I could interview him. It’s not his identity. I promised not to tell anyone.” Felix listened to Nino tell the story, and he had to admire how Nino was handling it. 

“How long has this been going on, exactly?” He could almost hear the interviewer in her voice.

“Not very long, actually.” Four days or so.

“And who else knows?” 

Nino narrowed his eyes. “I think Adrien might have pieced it together. I don’t know if Chat told Ladybug.” So Ladybug and Chat Noir knew. 

“With how close those two are? I wouldn’t doubt it.” Well, Alya wasn’t wrong. Ladybug did know. Chat hadn’t outright told her, but she knew. “So...what are you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You and Chat. Are you _dating_?”

A long silence passed. Felix almost thought Nino wasn’t going to answer. “I don’t really know. We haven’t talked about it that much.” So much for communication. They hadn’t talked about their status at all. Add that to his mental checklist.

“Nino. You need to figure that out. I don’t want this guy breaking your heart, superhero or not.”

“Thanks, Alya. I’ll have a talk with him, I guess.”

Felix heard the sound of footsteps walking away. Just one set, meaning one of them was still there. Either way, Felix wasn’t going to pretend to wake up any time soon-

“I know you’re awake,” Nino said.

God. Damn it.

Felix sighed and lifted himself up. “I won’t tell a soul.”

“I know you won’t.” Nino twisted in his seat to look Felix in the eye. “I’m actually a little surprised Adrien hasn’t told you.”

“He knows what to keep secret.” Especially business concerning Chat Noir.

Nino let out a quiet laugh. “Yeah. He’s great.” He paused, a sudden worry crossing his eyes. “Promise you won’t tell anyone?”

“Cross my heart.” Not that he didn’t already know. “So, Chat Noir. How did you manage that?” Yep. He was an asshole, and he knew it.

Nino blushed bright red. He started fiddling with his headphones. “Oh. I just got the chance to talk to him, and we hit it off.” That was the most watered down version of anything Felix had ever heard.

“And that led to you two playing tongue hockey?” Felix took a sip of his espresso and pretended the blush was its fault.

Nino was about to respond with something in his defense. However, he was cut off my a loud crash from somewhere in the school. Both boys looked to the direction of the noise. Felix was the first to follow it.

In the courtyard, half of the students there were already stuck in their spots. Felix scanned the crowd and sure enough, there was Adrien, being slowly encompassed by some sort of stone. In the center stood an altered version of Ms. Mendeleiev. Her lab coat fluttered around her, lengthened to the point of a dress. Her purple shirt and hair had turned to a shade of bright red. She had a malicious grin plastered across her face.

Felix quickly scanned the crowd for Marinette. He saw the girl backing into a side classroom. Had she seen Adrien? 

“Nino, you need to get out of here.”

Nino gave him a look of confusion. “What about you? You need to get out of here too.”

Oh, he wished. “I’m going to help evacuate the other students. Now go.” Felix picked up running toward the other staircase. A glance back told him Nino was tucking himself back into their classroom. Felix smiled. He crouched at the top of the staircase, watching her for a pattern. She looked away and Felix slid down the railing.

One last passing glance and he slipped into the class he had seen Marinette go into. 

Marinette looked back at him. “Felix. Oh, thank god.” She walked up to him. Tikki and Plagg came out from behind her.

Plagg floated up to him. “So Adrien’s out of commission for this battle. It’s up to you, kid.”

Felix nodded. I got this. Plagg, transforme-moi!”

Somewhere during his transformation, he heard Marinette yell, “Tikki, transforme-moi!”

Ladybug and Chat Noir crept out of the classroom, observing the villain. “I’m surprised I didn’t see this coming,” Ladybug muttered. Chat Noir smiled.

“Well, any special ideas?” Chat Noir asked.

The villain was stalking around the center of the courtyard, proudly declaring herself as Grade A. She had a stack of paper in one hand and occasionally took one off the top and threw it like a ninja blade. When it hit a student, it started encompassing them in rock, rendering them paralyzed.

“Where’s her akuma?” Ladybug muttered.

“In her stack of papers?”

“That’s pretty similar to Jackady, don’t you think?”

“And look at how long it took you two to figure it out.”

“But we know how to handle it now." She paused. "It's worth a shot. I’ll get her away from her papers, you use Cataclysm on them.”

“Are you sure?”

Ladybug laughed. “When am I?” She rushed forward and started dealing blows to the akuma. It immediately launched into a fight with her. Chat Noir started dancing around the outskirts of the battle. Adrien’s suit was so much more suited for battle. He had a weapon and Felix had a long tail. How was that fair?

A moving blue dot caught his eye. On the ground floor, camera phone in hand and obviously recording, Nino ran along the side of the courtyard. Chat resisted the urge to groan. Instead, he ran to meet him. 

“You need to get away from the battle,” he said by way of greeting.

Nino looked up at Chat in shock. “You-” He paused, eyes darting to the camera. “I’m okay, I swear.”

“You’ll be mildly less okay if she strikes you. Get out of here.”

“I-”

Chat dipped in low to mutter a message to Nino that only he could hear. “I’ll talk to you on patrol tonight. Just get out of here.”

Nino hesitated. He looked between Chat and his phone. Ultimately, he pressed stop. “I’ll see you tonight,” he said before running out of the courtyard.

Chat Noir turned his full attention back to the battle. Ladybug was pushing closer to the villain, focusing on her sides. Chat observed the battle with a strategic eye. Her back, covered in a red A, was completely exposed. “Cataclysm,” he called. Black energy bubbled inside his clenched fist, coursing through his veins. He ran up behind her while Ladybug was running around her front.

“You should have studied up, don’t you think?” he joked. His palm pressed into her stack of papers. She dropped them without a question, and they crumbled into black ash on the courtyard ground. A black butterfly emerged from the ashes and fluttered up.

Ladybug grinned. “Nice job, _minou._ ” She pulled up her yo-yo and did the standard cleansing. The evil energy bubbled away from the teacher, leaving her confused. Ladybug held up her fist for a fistbump. Felix pressed his knuckles to hers with a smile.

His ring beeped. “I should get going.”

She nodded. “Have you told him yet?”

He didn’t have to ask to know she was talking about the identity reveal. “No. Not yet. Do you want me to?”

“If you want. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but it’s your choice that he knows that I know.” Her face twisted into amused confusion. “This is weird.”

Chat’s ring let out another warning. “I’ll tell him when I get the chance. I’ll see you later, then?”

“Patrol tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DO YOU KNOW HOW DANGEROUS THIS SCHOOL IS BY THE WAY. NOT EVEN COUNTING AKUMA ATTACKS. IT’S A FIRE HAZARD AND AT RISK OF A FLOOD AT THE SAME TIME. I HATE THIS. WHERE ARE THE FIRE EXITS.
> 
> Requests? Comments? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com (If you message me off-anon, I'll answer your question privately.)


	11. Downpour

Chat stretched out across a beam of the Eiffel Tower. The moonlight danced across the city. Cars raced and stalled below them, paying no attention to the superhero. He wasn't sure he could be seen if someone tried. His tail swished across the iron lazily as he contemplated the night ahead of him, one he was both looking forward to and dreading.

Nino was likely already waiting for him on that terrace. He would have to ask about talking inside tonight. That idea alone opened up new doors for his imagination, both literally and figuratively. 

The sound of footsteps pattering across the beam caught his attention. He cracked open an eye. Ladybug had just stepped up to him and was leaning over him, pigtails dangling over her shoulders. “So how attentive will you be tonight?”

“Vaguely,” Chat replied with a shrug. “I need to talk to him.”

“Have you talked to Adrien?”

“Hardly. I’m not sure how to tell him. Are you going to tell him who you are?”

Ladybug sat on the beam with her legs dangling in the air. “I think so. I just need to figure out what to say. And when to say it.”

“He’d be ecstatic to find out who you are no matter what. Do you have any idea how much he fawned over Ladybug before you two started dating? He still has action figures.”

“Are you serious?”

“As the plague.” Chat smiled. “He’ll be happy it’s you. I know he will.”

“Thanks, Felix.” Ladybug looked out over the city. “Why don’t you take the night off? I’ll do a quick run around to make sure everything’s okay. If I need help, I’ll call you.”

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah. I think I need some fresh air anyway.”

Chat sat up, legs dangling over the edge. “Are you okay, Marinette?”

She smiled at him. “Yeah. Alya told me this morning that she saw Ladybug talking with a civilian last night. Which means you probably need to talk to Nino.”

“You’re not wrong,” he sighed. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Call me if you need anything.”

Ladybug gave him a mock salute before standing to yo-yo away. Chat sat on the beam for a moment, watching her fly through the air. He stood and let the breeze blow his hair from his face. Chat could just make out the outline of thick clouds around the moon. He wondered briefly if it was going to rain soon.

He made his way to Nino’s terrace. The boy was sitting cross-legged behind the fence and talking on the phone. “Yeah, Alya, I know.” Chat crouched on the rooftop above him, watching the conversation. “I’m not telling you that.” He paused. Chat could almost hear Alya’s words. Nino pulled the phone a little bit away from his ear. “I don’t know.” He looked up and met Chat’s eye. “Alya, I’ll call you back.” He took the phone away from his face and pressed end.

Chat hopped down onto the terrace. “Good evening, Nino.”

Nino stood, still tapping through his phone. “Hey. So we need to talk.” He swiped across the screen a couple times before turning the phone to Chat.

The angle was from the street, to Chat’s left. One arm was wrapped around Nino’s waist, pulling him closer. Nino’s hands were pressed against Chat’s chest. His hat was coming off of his head. Chat was pressing his lips against Nino’s, eyes closed and the faintest smile crossing his lips. 

Chat felt as if the wind was knocked out of him. Nino looked at him over the phone. “We should go inside,” Nino muttered. He led Chat in through the terrace door.

Nino’s bedroom was decorated wall to wall with band posters and bright colors. Names he recognized (Dark Destiny, Laughing Hyenas, 8 Limbed Freaks) and names he didn’t (The Picked Eggs, Drowning Daisies). A computer sat on Nino’s desk, lock screen bright in the dark room. He cracked a smile when he realized it was a minimalist Chat Noir painting -- black ears and hair against a green background. 

Nino shut the screen door and walked across the room to flick on the light. “ _Bienvenue,_ ” he said. He tossed his phone on the bed and sat on the bedspread. “So. We need to talk.”

Chat sat cross-legged on the floor in front of him. “You can go first.”

Nino took a deep breath. “I like what we’ve been doing. Like, it’s been really fun and great and-” He paused. His shoulders dropped. “I feel like we need to establish some sort of foundation if we want to keep going with this. If _you_ want to.” He looked to the side, a blush crawling up his face. “I know I do.”

“Of course,” Chat blurted out. “What do you mean by foundation?”

Nino looked back at Chat. “Like, what our status is. What are we?”

Chat considered for a moment. “What do you want to be?”

“Your boyfriend?”

Did the mask hide his blush? No, probably not. He stared up at Nino with wide, almost fascinated eyes. “Really?” The thought of Nino being his boyfriend and vice versa brought something new and exciting to the forefront of his mind. An unadulterated thrill. 

Nino nodded. “If you want.”

Chat grinned up at Nino. “I’d love to be your boyfriend.” His grin faltered. “But there would be a lot of strings. We’d have to be a secret.”

“I know. I’m best friends with the girl who runs the Ladyblog, who just so happens to be the girl that took that photo. So that takes care of the biggest outlet.”

“Does she know?”

“She said that as long as I had this talk with you, she’d keep it secret.”

“Perfect. Keep it to who already knows.” He sighed. “I would make it public. I really would. But I’m technically not Chat Noir. And neither is the other Chat Noir. We share the powers. So I can’t release anything that pertains to me, and he can’t release anything about him.”

Nino nodded. “I get it.” He thought for a second. “Off topic question. Are Ladybug and the daytime Chat Noir dating?”

Chat shrugged. “It’s a clusterfuck. I’m not sure what to make of it.” He sighed. “To the public, our personal lives are unknown and will stay that way.”

“And to me?”

“It’s only slightly less blurry.” He smirked. “If you saw me under the mask, you’d either swoon or detest me.” And he was leaning towards the latter.

Nino rolled his eyes. “Right.” He leaned forward. “So your personal life. Does my stance change with that?”

Chat pursed his lips in thought. “Perhaps. I guess I could be a bit more lenient with you, within very strict reason.”

“What about a phone number?”

No. No way in hell. Nino had Felix’s phone number for that stupid study group Adrien had pulled them both into. He’d recognize it within a heartbeat. “I don’t think so.” He thought. “What about some other messaging service?”

“Uh, I have Snapchat?” Nino shrugged. “Probably not the greatest idea, but-”

“No, no. I could make it work. I can add you. What’s your username?”

“I’ll write it out for you.” He walked to his desk and pulled a clean post-it off a stack. Chat stood to stand by his side. He wrote in fine letters, _dj_nino_.

Chat folded the sticky part down and slipped the paper into his pocket. “I can add you when I get home. I guess, don’t expect anything too revealing?”

Nino raised his eyebrows. “Revealing?”

“As in my identity, you nerd.” Chat couldn’t hold back his smile, however.

Nino let out a _tsk_ -ing noise. “And here I was wondering what was under the latex and kitty claws.”

“Well, this suit does have a zipper.” Chat stepped closer to Nino and flicked the bell at the top of his zipper. It didn’t jingle, which was exactly what he expected. But it got Nino’s eyes to dart down and back up, blush blooming. And that was exactly what Chat was aiming for. “Care to ring my bell?”

That was the exact moment Chat’s ring beeped at him. He looked down at it in shock. “But I haven’t used Cataclysm,” he protested to....to Plagg? Why was his transformation wearing off? He groaned. “I should go. I promise to add you when I get home, okay?”

Nino nodded. “Okay. Goodnight, Chat.”

He was at the screen door when his ring beeped again. It had hardly been 30 seconds. He opened the door and was greeted with a torrential downpour. “Uh oh.”

“What is it?” Nino asked from behind him. “You’re not an actual cat. You can go out in water, right?”

“Of course I can,” Chat replied. He turned on his heel. “However, my house is not a short distance away. And I don’t think I can make it before I-” His ring beeped again. “Before I detransform.” A pit settled into his stomach. He was going to end up in an identity reveal he shouldn’t have been in and this was not how he wanted to go about this, if at all, and-

“Chat, breathe.” Nino’s hand on his shoulder was a calming presence. “You’re sure you can’t make it?”

Fourth beep. He was supposed to have two minutes left, but that was not the case. Chat nodded.

Nino paused. He looked around his room. Chat didn’t have a baton, so he couldn’t call Ladybug. That was, if she was even Ladybug anymore. If he used Nino’s phone to call Marinette or Adrien, that would be far too suspicious. 

Fifth beep. “I have less than a minute left,” Chat said. He was shaking. He couldn’t get out of here. Nino’s hand left his shoulder. Chat looked around for a place to hide when-

The bright flash of his detransformation shone around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *whispers* cliffhangers.  
> Also I'm a week ahead in updates so I started writing a couple ficlets! I'm really into lesser shipped ships lately. Not to mention my two best friends are encouraging me to write sin so.
> 
> Question for you guys: I plot my chapters out often using chat-format things? And I find them amusing. So would you guys be interested in seeing a post or doc or something like that of just a compilation? I'd be up for doing that.
> 
> Requests? Comments? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	12. Introducing...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The longest, most agonizing silence Felix had ever heard. Adrien had probably been pacing. He could almost see him stop dead in his tracks. He started to wonder if Adrien had passed out. “ _What._ ”

A thick blanket was containing the light, covering Chat. Covering _Felix_ so that Nino couldn’t see anything.

Plagg fell out into his hand, already whining. “God, you are the worst type of person. Who says _ring my bell_?”

Felix groaned. “Why did you take away my transformation?”

“Because that was the worst pun I have ever heard.”

Felix stared at Plagg in the darkness. His free hand balled into a fist. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He would not strangle Plagg, because that was a bad idea. No matter how much the little demon deserved it.

“Uh, Chat?” Nino was here. Right. He was waiting patiently behind the blanket. 

“Present.” Technically. “Just. Not in costume.” He felt for his back pocket. Sure enough, his phone was right there. Not that he could even think of letting anyone come and get him. 

“Oh.” 

The weight on Felix’s left hand disappeared. When he heard Plagg’s voice again, it was from outside of the blanket. “So you’re the kid that’s been playing tongue hockey with my chosen.”

Felix gripped at the blanket. “Plagg.”

Nino flushed. “You must be the thing that gives Chat his powers.”

“Plagg. Kwami. Nice to meet you, Nino.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Felix wished he had a wall to bash his head against. “Plagg. I need to get home.”

“Well, you should have thought of that. I am not letting anybody _ring someone’s bell_ , as you so eloquently put it, while you’re in costume.”

“Fine. I won’t. Now get in the fucking ring,” Felix growled. 

“No.”

“ _Plagg._ ”

Nino let out a quiet laugh. “You can stay the night if you have to. Or call someone.”

Felix shook his head, jostling the blanket. “I don’t have anybody to call this late at night. And you probably need your blanket back.”

“Right. Yeah.” He paused. Plagg phased back through the blanket. “So what do we do?”

Felix shrugged. “Plagg is being a little shit. And I don’t have any of his usual charge, so he’ll continue to deny me.” He lifted the blanket off of his head to look back. Not that he could see anything. “I wonder how long the rain will last.”

“Let me look it up.” A long silence passed. “Until, like, two.”

Damn. “And it’s supposed to be this strong?”

“Yeah.” He laughed. “Good thing it’s a Friday. I would not want to go to school. It might be flooded by now.”

“Where do you go?” Well, he had to pretend he didn’t know. “College Francois-Dupont?” The only school in the area by a river?

“Yeah, actually. What about you? If you feel comfortable sharing that.”

“Sorry.” No way in hell.

“It’s okay.”

Felix’s phone started ringing. He scrambled to answer it, nearly dropping the blanket in the process. “Hello?”

“Where are you?” Of course Adrien would call. “You’re obviously not being Chat out in the rain, given that it’s pouring. And that you answered your phone.”

“I may have run into a bit of a roadblock,” Felix replied.

“What? Where are you?”

“I’m in Nino’s room.”

The longest, most agonizing silence Felix had ever heard. Adrien had probably been pacing. He could almost see him stop dead in his tracks. He started to wonder if Adrien had passed out. “ _What._ ”

“I wanted to talk to him, and I made an innuendo, and did you know Plagg can detransform us at will? What a crazy fact.” He just gave away who he was talking to, didn’t he? The daytime Chat Noir.

“Does Nino know who you are?” _Who we are?_ Felix could almost hear.

“No. I’m standing under a blanket.” 

Adrien let another silence pass. “You’re. You’re under a blanket.”

“Yes.”

“So how are you getting home?”

“That’s a good question. I actually have no idea.”

Adrien sighed. “Can Nino hear me?”

Felix took the phone away from his ear for a second. “Nino, can you hear or understand what he’s saying?”

Nino sounded like he was sitting on the bed now. “Oh. No, I can’t.”

“Great.” He put the phone back to his ear. “What were you saying?”

“He’d recognize any car we send,” Adrien muttered. “I’d rather not send Ladybug out in this weather. Not that I could reach her anyway.” Oh shit. Remind Felix to talk to him about that later. When he got home.

“So what do we do?”

“You can’t transform?”

“No. Plagg is refusing.”

“He can do that?”

“I guess so.”

Adrien groaned. “Damn it. The rain’s not supposed to let up soon, either. And I’d hate to put you through a 45 minute walk.”

“I can run.”

“You are not running almost four kilometers, Felix.”

“But I could.”

He heard a sigh from the other end of the line. “I’d say just stay there for the night, but that sounds like a terrible idea.”

Felix sighed. “I know.”

“Did you talk to him?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“I’ll tell you over text. Or when I see you.” 

“I’m hanging up. I’ll come up with something. Just keep your phone on you.”

“Okay.” Felix pressed end and sighed. “Nino, you still here?”

“Yeah?” Nino replied from the bed. “Was that the daytime Chat?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool. Did you get something worked out?”

“No. He said he would figure something out, but it appears that I’m stuck here for now.” Blind as a bat and stuck under a blanket. Plagg snickered. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Oh, no, not at all. Is there anything I can do? I can maybe help you sit down or something.” It sounded like the bed was shifting under gained or lost weight. “Is it hot under there?”

“A little.” Felix gripped the blanket. “If you want to guide me to your bed so I can sit, however.”

“Yeah.” Nino paused. “Uh, how should I-”

Felix felt for the edge of the blanket and stuck his hand outside of it. “Here.”

The feeling of Nino’s hand directly in his sent a shock up his spine. He let himself be pulled forward to the bed and sat down. The space under the blanket felt hotter now. Plagg phased out of the blanket. Nino didn’t let go of Felix’s hand as he sat beside him. 

They sat in silence for a while. Under the blanket got hotter and more humid. The rain pattered onto the rooftop in rapid succession. Felix heard the soft _click_ of Nino’s phone unlocking. They started hearing thunder. Felix couldn’t see the lightning from behind the blanket.

He let out a loud huff and swiped sweat from his hairline. He checked his phone; Adrien had called fifteen minutes ago. 

“You okay?” Nino asked, adjusting his grip on Felix’s hand.

“Yes. It’s just hot under here.”

“You can take the blanket off if you want.” He paused and very quickly realized his mistake. “That is, I’d close my eyes or something. I’m not asking you to reveal yourself or whatever-”

“Nino.” Felix squeezed Nino’s hand. “I understand what you meant. Could you close your eyes?”

“Yeah. They’re closed.”

Felix gripped at the edges of his blanket. He could almost feel Plagg on the other side, watching him with an intense look. He slowly lifted the edges. 

Nino was sitting beside him, eyes scrunched shut and head bowed. Felix pulled the blanket the rest of the way off and onto the bed behind them. He reached a hand out to touch Nino. Somehow, the sight of his own skin startled him. This was dangerous. Very, very dangerous. The only thing that stood between Nino and Chat’s identity was a whole lot of trust. Felix’s breath picked up.

“Keep your eyes closed,” he murmured. Nino nodded just a bit. Felix used his fingertips to turn Nino’s head to him. He shifted closer to him. Nino’s breath ghosted over his lips. Bad idea. This was a bad idea. Just being out of the blanket was a bad idea. But cool air rushed around him and Nino was right here. Plagg was on Nino’s desk sulking. There was nothing between them, not even a latex suit. 

Felix leaned in and pressed his lips to Nino’s.

Nino wasn’t sure of what to do at first, that much was obvious. His hands went to Felix’s waist, meeting his cotton button-up. Felix thanked his very few lucky stars that he had taken off his vest and tie before patrol. It made his identity just a tiny bit more obscure as Nino pulled him closer. Felix wrapped an arm around Nino’s neck and pulled him in further.

Nino’s hand trailed up Felix’s side and up to his collar. His fingers brushed Felix’s jaw and pushed back to push through his hair. “Does your hair get shorter?” he whispered with labored breaths.

“Marginally. Come back.” And just like that, Nino’s lips were on his again.

Not having the costume between them was liberating. Like he could pretend for just a moment that this was their norm. The rain pounding on the roof and rolling off in waves was nothing. It was peaceful. The thunder so loud it made them flinch was a footnote. Felix wondered how he could have gotten so lucky to be here, for Nino to be in his arms like this. 

One of Nino’s hands was fidgeting with Felix’s top button and managed to unclasp it. Felix retaliated by taking Nino’s headphones from his neck and setting them on the bed. He started kissing his way along Nino’s jawline. Down his neck. Nino’s skin was warm in contrast to the cool room. He heard a gasp escape Nino’s lips.

That was about the point Felix’s phone rang. He froze in place. He swore under his breath before picking up. “Hello?” 

“Houston, we have a problem. I literally have no way to get you home.”

“What do you mean?” Nino’s hands were still on him, but Felix was farther away. Nino’s eyes were still shut tight.

“I mean, the only foreseeable way for you to get here is that 45 minute walk. And the rain’s only going to get heavier.”

Felix sighed. “At this point, I’m kind of afraid Plagg will get sick if I transform in this weather.”

“Maybe that’s why he’s refusing.”

“Or he’s just a little shit.” Felix paused. “I’ll figure it out. Call me if I’m not home before five.”

“I will, provided I don’t pass out.”

“Thank you.” Felix hung up. “Well. I officially have no way to get home.”

Nino’s hold on him loosened. “So you have to spend the night here?”

“It appears so.” He sat up straight. “You should sleep.”

“Well, you should too.”

Felix laughed. “I’d rather not risk oversleeping.”

Nino pouted, his bottom lip sticking out. “So you’re going to force yourself to stay awake? What about whatever you do in the day?”

“Half my bloodstream is coffee. I’ll survive.” Just barely, but he’d survive.

“Chat,” Nino cautioned.

“I know. I’ll take a nap during lunch and everything. I’ll be fine. You should go to sleep.”

Nino sighed and released his grip on Felix. “Fine. Since you took my headphones, can you put them on my nightstand?”

“Of course.” Felix grabbed the headphones from where he’d set them on the bed and put them on the small stand. Nino was crawling to the top of the bed and pulling the bedspread over him, eyes still shut tight. “Do you want me to lay down with you?”

Nino nodded. Felix slipped off his shoes and climbed in after him. Nino shifted closer to him without a second’s hesitation. Felix hesitated himself before laying an arm over Nino.

After a few minutes, Nino’s breathing slowed into a quiet pattern. Felix waited a couple more minutes before pulling back. Nino’s face looked breathtakingly peaceful. Felix allowed himself a small smile. Then, he very quietly and very slowly got out of the bed. 

He slipped his shoes on. Nino’s umbrella was by his closet door. Plagg was still laying on the desk, where Felix wrote a note on the post-it stack.

_Have a wonderful weekend. I’ll visit tonight. Also, I took your umbrella. Love you. -C._ He added a little cat doodle in the corner and nodded to himself. That should do it. He scooped Plagg up and tip-toed out of the apartment, umbrella in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god this is one of my most prized chapters i love it so much. I hope you enjoy it. The fluff. Also more smooches but *wavy hand gesture*  
> Also the 45 minute bit is based on real-world data but I also did legitimate math. I used the Pythagorean Theorem. And vectors. Combined with environmental factors. So it should actually take him 43 minutes, if you were wondering.  
> Requests? Comments? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	13. Reciprocation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whaaaaat? We’ve been through a week in this fic? Whoa. I actually thought this chapter was Friday and had to reread. Anyways, welcome to Tuesday. Really who the hell has study groups on Monday? Sounds like hell.

Nino’s newfound tolerance of Felix raised a few eyebrows around the classroom. They weren’t _friends_ , per se, but Nino was no longer openly comparing Felix to the class’ most hated. If anything, he was hanging out with him more.

Alya blamed the study group. Felix almost always having the right answers would contribute to Nino hanging around him. And while his teaching methods certainly weren’t traditional, they worked. 

But nothing could explain the blush Felix appeared to get when he was around Nino. The widening of his eyes when Nino reached across him to Adrien. And as much as Alya wanted to vehemently deny it, she knew exactly what was causing it.

Which is why Snapchat user c.roll5ever (also known as Adrien Agreste) got a chat from Ladyblogofficial right in the middle of one of their study sessions. 

The picture was of Alya’s textbook laid open, with the text over it reading, “Dude. I have a question.”

Adrien raised an eyebrow at Alya over the table, prompting her to sent another image, of the same textbook. “Keep your phone tilted away tho.”

Felix gave them both a disapproving look. “This is a study group, not a social networking group.”

Alya waved him off and he went back to his work with a loud huff. Marinette flicked Alya’s arm with a pen and pointed to her textbook. Alya shook her head. 

Nino leaned closer to Felix to ask his opinion on a question. Perfect timing. A flush crawled up Felix’s face as he stopped what he was doing. Alya made sure her flash was off and took a very quick picture of the two. She saved it before captioning it. “On a scale from 1-10, how gay is your brother?” And send.

Adrien pursed his lips to keep from laughing. His reply came in form of chat rather than images. “

c.roll5ever: He got a 4 out of 6 on the Kinsey Scale, if that counts for anything.  
Ladyblogofficial: how gay is he for Nino tho  
c.roll5ever: TBH? No idea. But isn’t Nino super gay(tm) for Chat Noir  
Ladyblogofficial: oh my god yes. can I share a conspiracy theory w/ you  
c.roll5ever: Absolutely??

Alya’s next message came in form of picture. It was a very zoomed in (and therefore blurry) picture of Nino. His headphones, to be exact. A red arrow was pointed to a dark blotch peeking out from under the orange headphones. The caption was placed above it, reading, “Chat Noir totally reciprocates”

c.roll5ever: What? That’s totally just the lighting.  
Ladyblogofficial: no way. i’ve been noticing it all day. Nino has a hickey.  
c.roll5ever: I won’t believe it until you get proof.  
Ladyblogofficial: stick close enough to eavesdrop ;)

The rest of the study session was almost silent. The timer beeped at exactly three, eliciting a sigh of relief from all five of them. They closed their books and started exiting the library. Alya pulled Nino behind. “So, Nino, did you have the talk?”

Just in front of them, Felix’s ears perked up. Adrien and Marinette were content in their own little world, chatting on about something completely insignificant. Felix pretended to be engrossed in his book.

Nino let out a quiet laugh. “Yeah. It went better than I thought it would, that’s for sure.”

“So? What happened?”

Felix almost gave up entirely on his facade. Nino knew he knew, so there was really no point. But he didn’t need Alya on his tail. Nino grinned. “I told him we should talk inside. I showed him the photo and told him that I knew the girl who took it and everything, but that we should lay down some sort of foundation. And so now we’re dating.”

Alya let out a gasp so loud Felix flinched. Nino did catch that, but he chose to ignore it. Alya threw her arms around Nino’s neck to hug him, but he didn’t quite see it coming. They toppled to the ground, Alya squealing in excitement.

Felix turned back first, taking in the scene with raised eyebrows. Adrien and Marinette stopped not far after. “You okay?” Marinette called.

Nino let out a belt of laughter. “Yeah,” he said between laughs. “I’m good.” Alya started laughing right along with him. Adrien and Marinette grinned, relieved to see that they were okay. She righted herself to sitting on her heels while Nino stayed slumped on the ground. He grabbed his hat from where it had fallen to the floor. 

He looked up. Felix was still standing there, only half-turned to them. His laughter died down, though he still chuckled.

After a solid ten seconds of somewhat uncomfortable eye contact, Felix sighed. As he turned away, Nino could swear he saw a wide smile and a flush on Felix’s face.

Felix paused to put a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. Call it an instinct. Or the fact that Adrien and Marinette’s anniversary were coming up. “I have something to talk to you about.” When his brother just tilted his head, he continued. “In private.” He had to get this out.

Alya pulled Nino to his feet and walked over. Adrien’s eyebrows furrowed. “Oh. Okay.” Marinette let go of his hand. Felix could see the look of concern on her face as he led Adrien away. She knew exactly what this was about. Alya led Marinette and Nino onwards, in an opposite direction of the twins.

Felix led Adrien into the locker room and shut the door behind them. “Fe? What’s going on?” Adrien asked. Felix looked around to make sure they were absolutely alone and nodded to himself. Plagg came out of Adrien’s jacket and sat on the bench.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you this since Thursday, actually. But I haven’t been sure how to say it.” He looked anywhere but at Adrien.

Adrien stepped closer. “Felix?”

“Thursday night, Ladybug let a little something slip about her identity.” He paused. He felt his heart pounding in his chest like a train about to hit him. “Something enough to piece together who she was. And I, having apparently no grasp on social interaction, acknowledged that I knew who she was.”

“You know who Ladybug is?”

“Yes. Let me continue.” He made eye contact with Adrien. They both looked terrified, but Felix knew he had to continue. “She was panicked. I didn’t want her to drop kick me across Paris. So I reciprocated.”

Adrien’s jaw nearly hit the floor before he covered his mouth with his hand. His emerald eyes went wide as he processed the information. “She...knows who we are?”

Felix nodded.

“I’m the only one who isn’t completely filled in,” Adrien clarified. His hand went to his side.

“I know she’ll tell you sooner or later. She’s simply waiting for the right time.”

Adrien looked to the ground. “Yeah.”

Plagg, who had been sprawled on the wooden bench, sighed. “Having two charges is exhausting. If it was just one of you, there wouldn’t be an issue right now. But nooooo.” He flied up between them and crossed his arms. “You two just had to make it more complicated.”

Felix gave him an annoyed glare. “Well, you could tell me how to get this ring off.”

Plagg tilted his head, one ear perking up. “I never told you? I could swear I did.”

“No. You didn’t.”

A grin spread across Plagg’s face. Adrien came forward. “What does he have to do?” Adrien asked the kwami.

“The way to break the curse is one kiss from Ladybug,” Plagg said. He had a teasing tone to his voice that would make Felix want to strangle the kwami under any other circumstances.

As it stood, however, all the color drained from Felix’s face. He stood stock still, eyes unfocusing.

Those words were like a death sentence. He was never getting this ring off now. Not knowing what he did. His own thoughts from just a week ago taunted him. Saying _wouldn’t you do anything to get the ring off?_

Not this. 

Noting the tiny weight burrowing itself into his collarbone, Felix rushed out of the bathroom, past the other three, down the stairs, and around the corner. He didn’t notice Nino rushing after him or Marinette going to ask Adrien what happened. 

“Felix?” his kwami asked from his sweater.

“Shut up,” Felix growled under his breath. He took a breath. “This can’t be happening.” He felt tears start to brim at his eyes. He was on the sidewalk in the middle of Paris in broad daylight, sniffling. His arms curled around his waist, gripping at the silken vest. 

What he really wanted to do was transform and run away. He wanted to rush across the rooftops of Paris with reckless abandon. That was what he did. He ran. But here, sniffling and tears running down his cheeks, he had to admit that he was tired. He wanted to curl up on his bed and cry in the silence of his room. His house wasn’t far of a walk, but Nathalie would absolutely notice him come in without saying hello first. The hand that held his ring curled into a fist. He needed an alleyway or a room or something. Somewhere that he could be alone save for the kwami that nestled against his chest.

“Felix?” The voice came from a being that was decidedly not Plagg. Felix stiffened. He would not turn around and face the voice. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Felix replied with a sniff. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t _sound_ fine,” Nino protested. He was getting closer to Felix. Plagg peeked at Felix from under his vest. “What happened?”

Felix shook his head and blinked a couple tears away. “It’s nothing.”

“Felix,” Nino said. He took a couple steps toward him. “You can talk to me about it. I won’t tell anyone.”

He really couldn’t. Nino didn’t understand. This wasn’t some off-handed conflict that was never to be spoken of again. He was going to be Chat Noir for the rest of his life. Long after Adrien had settled with Marinette and taken the ring off, Felix would be stuck to the rooftops of Paris by himself.

While Felix enjoyed solitude, he couldn’t admit to that.

He couldn’t just turn around and tell him the entire situation for several reasons. If he told anyone he was Chat Noir, it would be a disaster. A pit settled into his stomach as he contemplated what Nino would do once he found out he was Chat Noir. But Nino was persistent, and he was waiting for an answer.

“It’s just a stupid crush on a boy who could never like me in return.” It wasn’t the full truth. But he was screwed regardless.

Nino stayed silent for a couple moments. He paced up to Felix and stood beside him. “I’m sure it’s not stupid. And why couldn’t he like you back?” 

Felix felt the weight of Nino’s hand on his shoulder and Plagg, unseen, at his side. “He loves another. A boy who is strong, and brave, and confident, and- and-” He looked at his hands. His right hand curled into a fist, exposing the ring. The little charm on it was turned to the inside to make it appear as just a plain band. “And loved.”

“That ring,” Nino murmured. Felix’s eyes shifted to him. There was no way he could recognize it, could he? Nino’s hand fell from Felix’s shoulder. “It holds a lot of significance to you, doesn’t it?”

Nino’s eyes went to meet Felix’s just as Felix looked away. Nino didn’t recognize it. A bit of relief cooled Felix. “You could say that.”

“It looks like you don’t want it.”

Really hit the nail on the head, there. “I don’t.”

“Then why don’t you take it off?”

Felix flinched. _Because the only one that can release me is my brother’s girlfriend,_ he wanted to say. But somehow he thought that would come across as insane. “Because I can’t.”

Nino tilted his head. “You can’t?”

Felix shook his head and dropped his hands. “It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got time.”

Felix looked up at Nino. The boy was waiting patiently with an encouraging smile on his face. And Felix was standing there with bloodshot eyes and drying tears on his face. Regardless, he couldn’t tell him he was Chat Noir. But there was a question that was suddenly weighing on his mind. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

The smile on Nino’s face faltered. “What? Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You can’t honestly tell me you anything more than tolerate me.”

“Of course I can,” Nino protested. His hand went back to Felix’s shoulder. “You’re incredible! "You....you're refined, and charming, and perceptive, and mysterious! You--what are you doing?"

Felix, who had been stifling chuckles, burst out in laughter. He bent at the waist, doubling over and gripping his stomach. This was so not what he deserved. This was both incredible and his own personal _hell_. His boyfriend, trying to make him feel better. Those words were not words that applied to Felix Agreste (except, perhaps, for refined). They were words for his darling Chat Noir.

“Was it the mysterious part? Am I reading too deeply into this?” Nino fidgeted with his headphones.

Felix shook his head. With a clear of his throat, he straightened up and stifled his laughter. “My apologies.” A hint of a smile remained on his face, which he did nothing to get rid of.

“You okay, dude?” Nino’s encouraging smile returned with some worry mixed in.

“Yes,” Felix replied. “I simply came to a realization.” Which he did. Nino thought all those things of him, and certainly of Chat Noir. He saw something so similar in him. It gave him hope that he wouldn’t find it so shocking once he inevitably revealed himself.

“Promise you’re okay?” Nino asked.

Felix nodded and patted Nino’s shoulder briefly before starting to walk away. “Cross my heart.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so the word count on this one got so out of hand but i’M SO EXCITED GUYS I’M.
> 
> Also did you hear Nino got a last name I'm so pumped just. *whispers* finally.
> 
> Requests? Comments? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	14. Cross My Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix held back a sigh and put his thumb over the lens. The caption read, _I’m fine. He insisted I needed to relax. I’ll come by tonight, I promise._
> 
> Another picture came in return, of the same angle of the same shoes. _Promise?_
> 
> Cross my heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who just realized this is the last chapter in their backlog!

It was astounding how easily Felix got caught off-guard by Nino’s Snapchat messages. Nothing risqué, of course. But just little snapshots of Nino’s life that Felix was often there for. And Nino didn’t even realize it. The pictures wouldn’t even always be of him. Sometimes they’d be of his friends, as if Nino was trying to teach Chat about his personal life.

A picture here of Marinette and Adrien and their blatant PDA, the caption being _Mari and Adrien, resident cheese couple._ A video there of Alya bashing her head against the table during a study group, no caption required. Once in a while, Felix would be included, usually in the background of a selfie. One image of Felix’s face right after Nino was caught using his phone, caption reading _oh shit he caught me._

He screenshotted that one.

Most of Chat’s images in return were of darkness and a caption, always a finger over the lens. He so rarely suited up during the day that it was hard to excuse much else. He was afraid the littlest things would tip Nino off of his identity. 

Nino rarely examined his photos very closely. That was the beauty of Snapchat: ten seconds, and it’s gone forever.

The Wednesday following the thunderstorm, Felix got a notification mid-study group. _Snapchat: from dj_nino_

Felix raised an eyebrow and looked across the table at Nino. He was using his phone under the table, wasn’t he? He appeared intent on his work, though. Felix tapped it open.

The image was of the tops of Nino’s sneakers under the table, and the tips of Felix’s dress shoes. The caption was double-lined. _Are you okay? Why did daytime Chat do patrol last night, anyway?_

Right. Following Felix’s mental breakdown, he retreated home and filled Adrien in on everything, including his and Nino’s new relationship status. He did not, however, include Ladybug’s identity. Adrien insisted on taking patrol that night, transformed, and leaped away. Felix had a ten-minute stress session that ended with tea. He sent a Snap of the poster on his wall, caption reading, _Daytime Chat’s doing patrol tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow. <3_

Adrien came back insisting he didn’t talk to Nino, but Felix’s Snapchat said otherwise. He had a nice screenshot of Nino and Day Chat’s selfie. _I know. He swung by to say hi._

Felix held back a sigh and put his thumb over the lens. The caption read, _I’m fine. He insisted I needed to relax. I’ll come by tonight, I promise._

Another picture came in return, of the same angle of the same shoes. _Promise?_

Cross my heart.

Felix realized his mistake as soon as he pressed send. He noticed the flash of recognition in Nino’s eyes and could almost see the conscious decision not to say anything. However, it was like a final nail in the coffin when his icon was replaced with two arrows crossing each other.

The rest of the study group passed in silence. Nino didn’t even ask for Felix’s help like he normally did. In fact, he seemed very quick to get out of the library as quickly as possible. 

“What’s the matter with Nino?” Adrien muttered on his and Felix’s walk home. 

Felix shrugged. “I wouldn’t know.”

Adrien sighed, seeming far more melodramatic than usual. “I suppose you wouldn’t. But I know a certain Snapchat user named latexandkittyclaws would.”

As if on cue, they both stopped dead in their tracks. Felix heard Plagg snickering from Adrien’s shirt. He glared at the both of them. “You little-”

“Don’t swear, Felix,” the kwami interrupted. “It’s not nice.”

“I hate you so much.”

“Aw, you’re going to say that to an innocent kitten like me?”

Adrien grinned, stepping closer to Felix. “Animal cruelty is something to be avoided, Felix.”

Felix was positive he was five seconds away from _tearing his god-damn hair out_. He took a deep breath. “Listen. I found a way to communicate with my boyfriend outside of costume. It’s not interrupting my schedule or my studies, so it isn’t an issue.”

“As long as you’re not showing your face, I don’t have a problem with it.” Adrien continued walking. “Just be careful, okay?”

Felix nodded and followed his brother. “Of course.” He stepped in time with him. “So what are you and Marinette doing for your anniversary?” He probably should have asked Adrien this prior to the day before, but he’d been so caught up in his own relationship that he’d forgotten.

Which was incredibly different.

Adrien grinned. “I’m taking her on a boat ride down the Seine. Remember the Evillustrator?”

“Yeah?”

“Sorta like that date, but on a smaller boat and not high-stakes.”

Felix let a chuckle slip. “Comparing your dates to a villain’s ploy. What have you come to, Adrien?”

“Honestly, I have no idea.”

Before Felix transformed for the night, he checked his phone. The newest Snapchat was (obviously) from Nino. It had him, hatless and headphones up, lying on his bed and holding his phone with both hands. He laid on top of the same black comforter that had covered Felix on Friday. He was grinning at the camera. _Leaving the terrace door unlocked. What time will you be here?_

He sounded a lot more formal via text, Felix noted. “Plagg, if you detransform me tonight, so help me-”

“Yeah, yeah. I won’t.” He grinned. “Cross my heart,” he added with a tone that sounded an awful lot like gloating. Felix glared.

He waited until he was safely away from the Agreste Mansion to reply. He put his phone up and took a smiling selfie, Eiffel Tower in the background. It wasn’t until he was adding the caption ( _about 10, is that okay?_ ) that he noticed a pair of red fingers atop his head.

Ladybug stood behind him, rocking on her heels. “Hello, _minou._ ”

“ _Bonsoir,_ ” he greeted. “Care to join in on a selfie?”

“Felix Agreste? Taking a selfie? Something I never thought I’d see.”

Chat rolled his eyes. “I’ve been conversing with Nino via Snapchat.”

Ladybug’s eyebrows shot up. “How’s that working out for you?”

“Pretty well, actually. It’s a lot of covering the lens with my finger.”

“Which completely defeats the point of Snapchat,” Ladybug argued. “Mine is check this design, by the way.”

Chat sighed and cleared the picture. “Take a selfie with me and I’ll add you.”

“Deal.”

Five minutes later, they pressed send on a picture of both of them, Eiffel Tower still looming in the background. _Patrol first. I’ll be there around 9:30, ok?_ It was decorated with stickers and emojis and no less than two filters. 

Ladybug typed in her username for him, which was spelled as _checkthisdesign_ , if we want to be specific. “I’ll add you back when I get home.”

“Promise you won’t judge me for my username,” Chat sighed. “I meant to use it for exactly one person.”

“Yeah, I won’t,” Ladybug reassured him. “I actually made my Snapchat before I was Ladybug, but I still think it’s pretty great. I feel like I should make a Snapchat for Ladybug.”

Felix smiled. “Maybe you should, but I can’t imagine it being used so often.”

“Maybe,” Ladybug pondered. “Can I tell you something?”

“What is it?” Felix’s phone buzzed, but he ignored it for the time being. 

Ladybug put on a nervous smile. “So Adrien and I. Our anniversary is tomorrow. And he’s keeping what he’s got planned a secret from me. I’m not asking you to tell me, of course, but I thought I would run this by you.”

“Fire away.”

“I think I want to reveal my identity tomorrow.”

Chat’s eyes lit up with the idea. “You do?” When she nodded, he continued. “That’s a great idea!”

“You think so?”

“Absolutely. He’d love it more than any gift you could give him.”

The image Chat had gotten was of Nino with a Paris-specific filter. “How did I not know this existed,” he whispered. Atop Nino’s face was a CG Ladybug mask, and his shoulders down were faded to red with black spots. _Sounds fine by me._

“Know what existed?” Ladybug asked.

“Are there Ladybug and Chat Noir filters on Snapchat?” he asked. He screenshotted the photo.

“Well, yeah. I thought you knew that.”

“I did not know that.”

“It’s one of those friend ones anyway. So you can’t be Chat Noir unless you have a friend to be Ladybug.”

Chat looked up at Ladybug with an expression of disapproval. “That’s stupid.”

“I know, right? It just perpetuates these stupid stereotypes.” Ladybug smiled over at Chat. “Not to mention, you can’t use it to send selfies to your boyfriend.”

Chat rolled his eyes and moved along.

Patrol passed with witty banter and a lot of laughter. Ladybug got Chat to post a couple selfies to his story, complete with stickers. They even tried out the Ladybug and Chat Noir filter on video. “We look exactly the same,” Ladybug groaned.

Ladybug retired at 9. “Big day tomorrow, you know?” she said before swinging away.

Chat darted to Nino’s house and landed on the terrace with ease. He took one glance to make sure nobody was watching and knocked on the screen door. _Oh, right,_ he thought, _he said he was leaving it unlocked._

“Waitwaitwait _wait-_ ” Nino hissed. Chat only processed this chant after he had slid in. 

At least Nino wasn’t entirely naked. He was just standing by his dresser with a towel wrapped around his waist. He was blushing down to his shoulders.

Chat turned away, face bright red beneath his mask. “Sorry,” he said. “I probably should have warned you.”

“No problem. I just got out of the shower.” He heard the sound of drawers opening and closing. “There’s no way I took forty-five minutes in the shower. What time is it?”

“A little past nine. Ladybug turned in early.” He tried not to think too deeply about Nino in particular. _Not until he’s dressed, Agreste._

“Oh. Is she okay?” Fabric rustling.

“Yeah. She’s just got a long day tomorrow. She thought she’d get extra sleep.”

“Oh. That makes sense,” Nino mumbled. Chat heard a drawer close. “Okay, I’m decent enough.”

Chat turned around to face a Nino in sweatpants and...yep. That was it. Sweatpants and no shirt. Nino slung a red t-shirt onto the bed. “Welcome back,” he said with a smile. “Relaxing night last night?”

“It was mildly disturbed by the fact that my counterpart was here. But for the most part, it was relaxing.” His eyes were not darting down to Nino’s stomach, where he had just the hints of a two-pack. Nope. Not at all. He wasn’t blushing like a rose _at all_.

God rest his soul.

Nino strolled towards him. Chat felt himself slowly descending into Hell with the heat that covered his face. Nino grabbed one of his gloved hands. “We should go on a date sometime,” Nino said. “Like, a legitimate date. Instead of you coming by my terrace at unlawful hours.”

“Unlawful?” Chat raised his eyebrows. He could get behind this subject. He put his free hand on his hip instead of Nino’s.

“My curfew is nine, I’ll have you know. So you’re coming by after my curfew.” Nino’s expression shifted to a teasing grin. 

Chat reciprocated the smile. “And what did you have in mind for a date?” He knew his options were very, very limited. The places within Paris he could go without being noticed as Chat Noir were...ah, yes. Nowhere.

The smile on Nino’s face faltered. “I wasn’t sure. I don’t know who you are under the mask, so it’s not like we can just go out.” 

Chat’s own smile fell. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“No, no. It’s not your fault. I don’t want to push you into a reveal you aren’t ready for. I just wish we could do stuff normal boyfriends do.” Nino squeezed Chat’s hand, the ring pressing into his palm. “I want to know every side of you, Chat.” 

Chat sighed. “And if you find out my other side isn’t what you expected at all?”

“Then I’ll learn to love that side, too.”

A wide grin spread across Chat’s face as he leaned in to touch their foreheads together. It was official. Felix Agreste was head-over-heels for Nino...Nino....Oh fuck. “Out of curiosity, what’s your last name?” God, he wanted to kick himself.

“Lahiffe. Why?”

Chat chuckled. “Chat Lahiffe. I like the sounds of it.” He liked the sounds of Felix Lahiffe even better.

Nino burst out in laughter, keeping his forehead against Chat’s. “How does Nino Noir fit your fancy?” Nino Agreste sounded pretty nice too. 

Chat tilted his head to put their mouths just an inch apart. “A bit too alliterative, don’t you think?”

“ _Alliterative_. You’re such a nerd.” Nino pulled Chat in for a kiss.

It was incredible how Nino could just pull him in like this. Not physically (not entirely, anyway), but just pull him into the moment. Chat felt almost powerless. He felt vulnerable, but it wasn’t in a bad way. It was like he was out of costume, but he didn’t mind. He still had a safety guard up somewhere and it was a thrilling realization that it was trust.

Nino was gentle and passionate all at once and Chat couldn’t help but give into it. Even when Nino’s lips started tracing a path down Chat’s neck. “No marking,” Chat said in the midst of a sigh.

He felt Nino smile against his skin. “Oh, like the mark you left on me?”

“What?”

Nino pulled away to look Chat in the eye. “You gave me a hickey on Friday. It’s just about gone now, but it was there.”

“I _what_?”

Nino pulled his phone out of the pocket of his sweatpants. He opened up his gallery and picked out a picture that had been taken but not sent. It was of the curve of his neck. At the side of his neck was a dark splotch. 

Chat paled. “I'm so sorry.”

Instead of scolding him, Nino locked his phone and laughed. “It's fine. Just don't leave a mark somewhere that noticeable. And if you don't want me to leave anything, I won't.”

What did Felix do to deserve this, honestly? What on Earth did he do to deserve a boyfriend so wonderful and kind to him? To both sides of him? “You’re not mad?”

Nino shrugged. “It was on a Friday, so by the time Monday rolled around, it was almost gone. I don’t think anybody noticed. Except Alya, but she’s more of a conspiracy theorist.”

Chat lifted an eyebrow. “Conspiracy theorist?”

“Yeah. She was Lady Wifi. And she runs the Ladyblog.” Nino smiled. “She’s a great friend. I know she ends up a lot in my study group Snapchats.”

Well, here was an opening if he ever saw one. “Tell me about your study group,” he pleaded. He grabbed Nino’s hand and led him to sit on the bed.

Nino laughed as he sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed. “It’s just a few of my friends. Alya sits behind me, and she’s honestly the greatest. She’s always there when you need her, and she knows what to keep secret. Marinette is her best friend. She’s the sweetest person I know. I’ve known her since elementary school.” He bubbled on, grinning as he remembered the memories. “She’s a great person. Then she’s dating Adrien, my best friend. His twin brother is Felix, and their father is --get this-- Gabriel Agreste.”

Chat feigned shock. “As in, the fashion designer Gabriel Agreste?” He even leaned in a little to give the impression that he didn’t know that.

Nino nodded his head with a smirk, as if divulging information nobody knew. “Yeah. He sounds a lot cooler than he actually is, though. He shelters those kids to death. I feel bad for them. Adrien's learned to live with it and he's as sociable as he can be, you know. He talks to everyone. But Felix...” Over the course of his talking, his tone had grown somber and he looked off to the side, frowning.

A pit settled into Chat’s stomach. “What about him?”

“He really stays to himself. Like, he doesn't talk to many people and when he does, it's either because he needs something or because Adrien pulled him into a conversation. I worry about him, y'know? I wanna make sure he's okay. But even when he does open up, it’s like he still pulls back. Like he’s afraid of anybody knowing anything about him.”

Maybe Chat was sniffling a little bit. He didn’t respond. Did Nino really worry about him like that? “It sounds like you know him pretty well.”

Nino shook his head. “I don’t think I do. I wish I did.” He finally met Chat’s eye, ignoring the tears welling in them. “He reminds me a lot of you.”

“How so?”

“You’re both a mystery. You both act like you’re not worthy of being loved, when you absolutely are. And you stay away from the spotlight at all costs.” Nino smiled up at him.

He was soon to catch on. Nino would find out who Chat was and everything would be ruined. The thought sent a shiver running through him that he suppressed. But then again, would everything really be so bad? Nino didn’t detest Felix. Didn’t love him, but how truthful were his claims of learning to love his other side?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :o Is Nino piecing things together? Is he saying they're all a coincidence? Who knows? Definitely not me
> 
> Requests? Comments? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	15. Important Conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all. Y'all.  
>  _Y ' a l l ._

Felix woke Adrien up the next day by throwing a pillow at his face. “Wake up, lovebird. You said you’d meet Marinette early today.”

Adrien groaned in protest, but he rolled off the bed onto his feet. “Good morning to you too, Felix.” He took in his brother’s already put-together appearance. He was buttoning his sleeves. The only thing that needed grooming was his hair, which resembled Chat’s at the moment. “Oh shit. I didn’t oversleep, did I?” he gasped.

“No,” Felix said, “I just woke up early. It’s actually five minutes before six.”

“My alarm is at six.”

“You always complain about it.”

“Not always,” Adrien protested. 

“Always,” Plagg said from Felix’s vest pocket. “Like, every single day. You complain about it at breakfast and everything.”

Adrien gave Plagg a glare before looking to Felix. “Why are we Chat Noir again? Can we get rid of him?”

Felix held up his right hand, ring design faced out. “No can do, brother.” Probably ever.

With a sigh, Adrien started getting ready. Felix combed his fingers through his unruly hair in hopes that it would stick. And for once, it did. Felix glanced in Adrien’s mirror and his hopes were confirmed: his hair stayed as he liked it without the help of gel. “I think it’s going to be a good day,” he said to Adrien.

Adrien slipped his white jacket over his shoulder and turned to Felix. “I do too.”

The two set off with a comment to Nathalie about wanting to get some fresh air. Their steps were slow and calm. The sky was coated in blue and the air seemed to be the perfect temperature. Felix’s coffee cup was finally cooled to the exact point where he wouldn’t burn himself. The cars that passed were few and they only counted three honks. Even Plagg seemed to be content, floating along in the crook of Adrien’s arm.

“So how are things going with you and Nino?” Adrien said once they got far enough from the mansion.

Felix took a sip of his espresso and smiled. “Wonderfully. We seem to have reached a point of balance. He won’t dig for my identity and in turn I’ve begun to...trust him more? If that would be the word.” It would be. But Felix wouldn’t say that. “And you and Marinette? Your anniversary is today, after all.” 

A grin spread across Adrien’s face. “I can’t wait to see her.”

They walked in silence for a couple minutes, as the school got closer to them. “Can I ask you a question?” Adrien said, tone much more somber.

It caught Felix’s attention, that’s for sure. “What is it?” He held back from the _Didn’t you just ask a question?_ remark.

“I just wanna know, what was the deal about the kiss from Ladybug?”

Felix resisted the urge to stop in his tracks. Plagg floated out in front of him, clearly not concerned about being seen. He looked at Felix in silence. Felix sighed. Plagg decided he was going to explain. “It partially has something to do with her identity, but the thing I know Felix is caught up on is that it has to be out of love. And Ladybug is not in the correct position for that.”

It was at that point that Felix realized what had happened: their rings had gotten switched. He was supposed to be the one with the silver ring that could be taken off at will. It was the fault of both twins, for not listening to Plagg. Not that he would have known, but still. Two charges made things a lot more complicated.

“Is she dating someone?” Adrien asked.

“Yes,” Plagg and Felix said in unison.

Adrien looked between them. “I’m sorry, Felix.”

“It isn’t your fault.” Felix’s phone buzzed and he fished it out of his pocket. _Snapchat from dj_nino_.

He opened it. Nino was sitting on the steps of the school, Alya and Marinette at his sides. To fit the three of them, it had been turned ninety degrees. _Sitting with two girls. Are you jealous now?_ To add to the picture, Nino was winking at the camera.

Felix tapped twice. “Plagg, smile for the camera.” The kwami turned just enough that Felix could see a sullen glare, and he snapped the picture. _Isn’t the one on the left taken? ;)_

Nino’s next picture came when they were a block away from the school. Felix could just make out a blue shirt from where they were. The picture was of Nino with Marinette and Alya in the background, obviously discussing something. Felix couldn’t tell what, but that didn’t really matter. He was shrugging. _Well yes but I was more pointing out how you’re not here._

Felix let out a laugh. His next picture was of darkness, but it was at 10 seconds with text. _College Francois-Dupont? Maybe Chat could swing by after school ;)_ Felix added a green cat doodle and sent it off.

“You use so many winking faces,” Adrien muttered.

From half a block away, Felix could see Nino’s eyes widen, internally freaking out. The icon on Felix’s phone turned into two arrows crossing each other. He watched Nino take a picture of the ground and frantically start typing. 

_I have a study group after school but I would so not protest to seeing you_

A picture of darkness in return. _I could drop by during lunch. Who in your group doesn’t know about us?_

Nino squinted at the screen. Another picture of the ground. _Marinette. I didn’t tell Adrien, but he pieced it together. Alya and Felix know._

Felix held back a laugh. God, this was too precious. _I’ll keep that in mind. Don’t tell anyone I’m coming._ was pasted onto a dark background.

When Felix and Adrien finally got to the stairs, Marinette tackled Adrien in a hug. Felix bypassed the hopeless romantics to sit a foot or so away from Nino. 

“Good morning, Nino,” Felix greeted.

“Hey, Felix.” He was grinning as he put his phone in his pocket.

“You seem exceptionally happy today. Did something happen?”

Nino laughed. “Just a good day, you know?” Ah yes. First test passed. Not that Felix was testing him, but it was nice to know he’d keep Chat’s visit a surprise.

“Yeah.” Felix looked over to where Adrien and Marinette were being double their romantic selves. Nino took a quick snap of the two and captioned it _[dork intensifies]_ before sending it off to latexandkittyclaws. Felix huffed out a laugh. “So how are things between you and Chat going?”

Nino locked his phone. Felix’s vibrated in his pocket. “So well. I’m lucky to have him, y’know? He’s mysterious and charming, and his eyes are to die for.” He looked over to Felix with a smirk. “And his claws are _purr_ fect.” He punctuated his sentence with a wink.

Felix was leaning away, yes, but that was because his face had to be the color of a rose. He pursed his lips. Nino was waiting for him to say something. He cleared his throat and straightened up. “I don’t want to know the specifics of what you and your boyfriend do,” he muttered. He took a sip of his espresso. 

Nino laughed and leaned back. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. It’s not every day you see the tsundere Felix Agreste blush.” Lately it was. Felix didn’t comment on the tsundere title. “How about you, though? Are you feeling any better?”

“Yes,” Felix replied. He absentmindedly fidgeted with his ring and managed to turn the cat insignia to the outside without realizing. “I’m going to come to terms with what I need to. Thank you for coming after me, Nino.”

“No problem, dude. It’s what friends are for, right?” Nino’s smile was wide and sweet enough that Felix returned it. 

“I suppose it is.”

The five of them moved inside. Marinette and Adrien requested permission to sit together, and as a result, Nino switched places with Marinette. Felix wondered for half of the first period if this was how Marinette felt before she and Adrien started dating. He figured that yes, it was. He reminded himself to apologize to Marinette for all he'd teased her.

The teacher allowed a break halfway between the start of class and lunch. Nino mentioned that he was going to go to the bathroom and left, leaving Felix bored out of his mind.

Not for long, however, as Alya turned in her seat almost immediately after he left. “So what’s with you and Nino?” she started off.

Felix raised his eyebrows. “What?”

“You and Nino. You’re all friendly all of the sudden. It’s weird.”

Oh heavens did he want someone to slay him. He rolled his eyes. “When someone spends half their time with your brother, you tend to be friendlier with them.”

Alya’s eyes narrowed at him. “Why don’t I trust you?”

“Because you’re in league with the rest of the class, assuming I’m on the Bourgeois girl’s level. Nino is someone who can hold his own. I understand that you’re concerned for him, and I appreciate that.” He swirled his espresso by the cap like a cat swishing its tail. “But quite frankly, he’s not your responsibility. And neither am I.”

Her lips twisted into a stubborn....was she pouting? “I know you’re hiding something.” But you’d never guess what. “But I’ll let it go. Just know this, Agreste. If you hurt Nino, you’ll have some answering to do with me.”

“Good to know.”

Felix didn't respond past that, and Alya turned back in her seat. When Nino came back, he pretended not to notice the atmosphere surrounding the two. Class started back up. Felix downed the last of his espresso.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent about half of the weekend doing photography and the other half completely reworking and starting the second half of Dusk to Dawn. So, uh. Get ready.
> 
> Requests? Comments? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	16. Lunchtime Rendezvous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s nice to see you outside of your terrace.” That wasn’t a lie, of course. Felix relished in every moment that he could see Nino during the day. But as far as Nino knew, Chat didn’t have that opportunity.
> 
> Nino grinned. “Agreed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reveal was supposed to be in this chapter but uh. I might have spent a week reworking the entire last 2/3 of Dusk to Dawn. But I digress.

Felix will admit that between everything, he almost forgot about Chat’s promise. The one to meet Nino at lunch. So when they all headed down the stairs, Felix let out an audible hiss between his teeth. His right hand clenched around the railing so tightly that if his ring wasn’t magically bound to his skin, it would have lifted away. He felt Plagg nudge him in the side as Nino turned around.

“You okay?” Nino asked.

Felix looked down with pursed lips. “Yeah, I just forgot something. I’ll catch up with you.” He turned and stalked away without another word. He muttered to Plagg as the kwami shifted up to his collar. “If I’m not careful, he’s going to find me out soon.”

Plagg shrugged. “You really should be more careful, but I’m surprised he hasn’t caught on by now.”

“You’re very comforting.”

“I try.”

Felix pushed his way into a locker room that wasn’t his. He knew nobody would be in there, but he took a cursory glance around to make sure. He sighed. “This is insane.” Plagg pulled out to float in front of him. Lying in wait. Felix smiled. “Plagg, transforme-moi!”

He relished in the light of his transformation, knowing what was soon to come. It gave way to a grin spreading ear to ear and a boy in latex and cat claws. One cat ear twitched. He looked to the door, which was opening.

_Shiiiiiiiiit._

Chat bolted his way behind one of the locker rows. God damn it. He didn’t want to make a big fuss of Chat Noir being at their scho- “Felix?” What. The. Fuck. Was Nino doing? “Felix, you in here?” 

Well, no point in...really anything, now. But Chat might as well try for what of his identity he’d managed to salvage. He laughed. “Well, I can’t say much for Felix, but I’m here.” He stepped out from behind the row of lockers.

Nino’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh. Hey. Have you seen Felix?”

“Uh, who?” Fuck. He was fucked. He wanted to dig himself a hole to dig down to his own personal hell. Oh, wait, this _was_ his personal hell.

“The kid in my study group. Green eyes, longer blonde hair, about ye high.” He put a hand up to Chat’s almost exact height.

Chat pursed his lips. “Ah, can’t say that I have. Why?”

“Oh, I just thought I saw him come in here. This isn’t his locker room.” Nino looked around. “I mean, it isn’t anybody’s.” He shook his head. “I must’ve seen wrong.”

“Is everything alright?”

Nino nodded and stepped closer, grinning. “Yeah. I’m glad you’re here.”

“I’m glad too.” Chat grabbed Nino’s hand and stepped closer. “It’s nice to see you outside of your terrace.” That wasn’t a lie, of course. Felix relished in every moment that he could see Nino during the day. But as far as Nino knew, Chat didn’t have that opportunity.

Nino grinned. “Agreed.” He pulled Chat a little closer. “How’s your day been?”

Careful, Chat, don’t make the same mistake Marinette did. “It’s been going quite well. I get to see my boyfriend in the middle of the day. That’s a treat.” Nailed it.

“I’d agree. It really brightens your day, doesn’t it?”

Voices rang out from down the hall. Three of them, which both quickly recognized as Alya, Adrien, and Marinette. Chat let go of Nino’s hand in favor of hiding behind the lockers. The three of them piled in.

“Hey, dude, why are you up here?” Alya asked. 

Nino let out a nervous laugh. “I’m meeting someone.” It was almost a question, the way he phrased it.

“Who?”

Chat put on a smile and poked his head out from the lockers. “That would be me.”

Alya, Adrien, and Marinette all gasped. Alya immediately stepped forward, of course. “Chat Noir? What are you doing here?” She already had her phone in hand, stars sparkling in her eyes.

He smiled at her. “I had some time to myself. I thought I would stop by and say hello.”

“So you visited Nino on your lunch break, basically.”

Chat nodded. “Basically.” He slung an arm around Nino’s shoulders nonchalantly. Nino blushed but leaned into him, wrapping his own arm around Chat’s waist. “You must be Alya.”

Alya grinned wider. “Yeah! Administrator of the Ladyblog and journalist extraordinaire. Can I get an interview?”

Adrien and Marinette were both slightly grimacing, not looking at the other. If Alya got an interview with the midnight Chat, it would just go downhill from there. Nino gave out a nervous chuckle. “Uh, Alya, Maybe not right now?”

Despite her obvious wish, she sighed and simmered down. “Fine. But I have so many questions.”

Marinette seemed to realize her supposed ignorance. She tilted her head. “Wait, Chat Noir, why would you visit Nino? Unless-” She looked between Nino, Chat, and the arms around each other. And she gasped. “Oh my god, are you two dating?”

Chat grinned. Time to put on a little show. “Yes we are,” he replied. He pulled Nino a little closer and leaned his head on Nino’s. Nino leaned into the touch with a smile.

From the back of the tiny crowd, Adrien frowned. “God damn it,” he muttered. “Now I owe Felix five bucks.”

Nino froze in Chat’s arms, looking at Adrien with a bewildered expression. “You put a bet on my love life?”

“Well when you say it like that, it sounds bad.”

Chat grinned, stifling a laugh. Adrien made no such bet, and he knew it. It would be rather unwise to make a bet on a couple’s relationship status with one half of the couple. But damn it if he wouldn’t use that little quip to his advantage later on. 

“You should come to lunch with us!” Alya exclaimed.

“I’m afraid I can’t,” Chat replied. “Tight schedule and all.” And it would be a hell of a time explaining why Felix wasn’t there but Chat was. He did not need to fan the flames.

Alya pouted, but the other three seemed to have a look of resigned understanding. “Can I get an interview with you later then?” she asked.

“Sure. Just not right now,” he clarified. He could feel Adrien glaring holes into Felix. Because there was no way in hell Felix was going to be the one interviewed. “I have to get going.”

Nino caught his eye and smiled. “Message me, okay?”

“Of course.” He turned to the other three. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”

The other three gave a mangled mess of goodbyes. Chat felt something hanging off his ear. Nino’s hat peeked out of the corner of his eye. He gave Nino a raised eyebrow and got a grin in return. He sighed. “I’ll message you,” he said.

Chat treated getting to the front of the school as a race. And rightfully so. Alya, Adrien, Marinette, and Nino all raced up to him within seconds of him stuffing Nino’s hat into his bag. Alya was the first to start gushing and recapping everything that happened. Felix nodded along, acting completely bewildered.

“Where were you anyway?” she finished off.

God damn it. “I remembered I already had what I’d gone to my locker for, so I’ve been waiting for you. However, if I had known Chat Noir would be there, I would’ve joined you.”

They managed to agree on a local cafe for lunch. Alya spent the entire walk there gushing to Adrien and Marinette. This left Felix and Nino walking behind them, listening in. It felt so natural, walking with him. For a moment, Felix allowed himself to imagine a timeline where Nino already knew. He could take his hand right then and mutter jokes between themselves. The idea was almost enough for Felix to outright tell Nino.

Almost.

Nino nudged Felix in the arm. “Thinking pretty deeply, there,” he said.

Apparently, Felix had been staring off into the void. He gave a weak smile. “I just zoned out.”

“Yeah.” Nino paused. “It’s a shame you couldn’t have come up with us. I bet you and Chat would be good friends if you met.”

Felix shrugged. “I’m sure we’ll meet eventually.” Ugh. This was hopeless. It was great that Nino cared about Chat and wanted Felix to at least not be miserable. But he felt like he was lying every time Nino talked about his alternate identity. 

“What about the guy you were talking about? Are you any closer with him?”

Oh, Nino, you precious bean. You’re trying. Felix averted his eyes. “I believe I am. It’s a strange situation. But I want him to be happy, even if that happiness doesn’t involve me.”

He could feel Nino staring at him, looking him over for clues that he wasn’t okay. But truly, he was. “If you don’t mind me asking, who is it?”

_You. It’s you, you blind child. It’s all a metaphor for my alternate identity._ “I’d rather not answer that question.”

“Oh. Okay.” Wait, really? He was just going to drop it and not pry? Christ above he was too good for this world. “Well. Maybe he’ll finally see the light one day. You’re a great kid, y’know.” Look at how far we’ve come. Class villain to _great kid_. Not entirely what he was going for, but hey. “If I hadn’t chased after Chat for a week for an interview, we wouldn’t be dating.”

Shit. That was true. Nino hadn’t been the only one in assuming the other was....less than perfect. Felix had never taken Nino as anything more than Adrien’s friend. But what had Nino taken Chat as? “How did you realize you had feelings for him, anyway? You couldn’t have been very close with him beforehand.”

Nino shrugged despite the hint of rose coloring his cheeks. “I noticed something about him, and I looked it up and nobody else had. I guess it made me want to learn more about him, and that led to feelings. It wasn’t a snap thing or love at first sight. It just happened.”

If you asked Felix when he realized when he fell in love with Nino, he would have given you a bullshit answer. When Nino asked Felix when he fell in love with this mystery guy, he said the following. “When the thought of him held off sleep.”

Felix, however, did not realize how irrevocably he had fallen in love with Nino on that first night. He hardly slept the night Nino first kissed him, this was true. But it wasn’t when he’d truly fallen in love.

If you asked Adrien when he realized Felix was in love, he would say that morning. Looking at his phone with a blissful smile on his face. Blushing every time Nino so much as looked at him. Offering to visit Nino when shit could have very well hit the fan.

If you asked Marinette the same, she would say the night Ladybug visited the lovestruck couple. She saw it in the way Chat looked at Nino as if the world revolved around his red cap. The way Chat was wrapped around Nino’s finger like the red string of fate.

But Felix would say it was gradual. The look in Nino’s eyes when he looked up at the rooftop. How his head started spinning at the first touch of their lips. How it faded into the sense of trust and gratitude on that stormy night. Everything felt so perfect when he was with Nino now. It felt effortless. He loved it.

And if you asked him now, he would admit that he loved Nino.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled so much with this chapter. God rest my soul I'm so sorry
> 
> Requests? Comments? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	17. Catnip

Chat was in a sort of heaven on earth. He could sit here, mapping every inch of Nino forever. He wanted to take him apart and put him back together again and do all sorts of unholy things.

“I was so happy when I saw you,” Nino whispered against his lips. “You look incredible in the daylight.” Nino’s music blared in the background, a quiet _fuck off_ to anybody that dared approach. 

Unfortunately, a certain cat had different plans. Scratching at his door made Nino freeze mid-kiss and groan. “God damn it. I told my mom to keep Milo in her room.”

“Milo?” Chat asked.

“Yeah. I have two pets. A cat named Milo and a dog named Otis.” Nino reluctantly started untangling himself. “I’m gonna assume you’re not allergic to cats. I’ll just put some catnip on a scratching board and throw it in a corner.”

Chat sat on the corner of Nino’s bed and watched him open the door just a crack. In slid a small short-haired cat with brown and dark brown striped fur. It trotted into the room with a mewl and immediately spotted Chat. Milo sniffed around the hero’s boots as Nino rubbed catnip into a small cardboard scratching post. He laid it on the ground. 

“Milo. Milooooo.” Nino gently waved the scratching post in front of him. Milo approached him with a calculating look. Nino set the post on the ground and stepped away, letting Milo start tearing into it. “That should keep him busy as long as we don’t bother him.”

Chat watched the cat tear into the scratching post for a couple seconds. Nino stood in front of Chat and used his hands to turn Chat’s head back to him. And Chat was absolutely about to say something until he breathed in. “What’s that smell?”

“What smell?” Nino took his hands away and sniffed at his fingers. “Oh, that would be the catnip.” He froze. “Oh my god. Don’t tell me-”

“I might be a little sensitive to catnip.”

Nino burst out in laughter. “That’s actually incredible. Oh my god. You’re an actual cat.”

“Is it safe for me to go home? I don’t know.” Felix looked down at his hands. Oh, please let that be the placebo effect kicking in. He registered Nino’s hands coming closer to his face. “I really shou-” Nino’s hands on his skin felt even more perfect than usual. 

Nino chuckled. “S’okay. A catnip high lasts about ten minutes for a cat anyway.”

Chat hummed his assent and leaned in. “Yeah. I can do ten minutes.”

“As long as your kwami doesn’t freak out again, I guess we’re okay.”

Chat’s kwami was freaking out. His ring gave the first warning signal and Chat let out an actual whimper. “I can’t operate like this.”

“It’s okay, Chat. Stay here, I’ll get a thinner blanket.” Nino’s absence was strange, but short. Chat knew a thin polyester blanket was folded neatly beside him.

“Thank you,” he muttered, leaning in again. Nino caught him and rubbed circles into his latex sleeves. Chat leaned his head against Nino’s chest. All his senses were heightened now and he felt like he was on some sort of nirvana. Every thought he had passed too quickly for him to even comprehend. He barely registered his ring beeping three times and Nino pushing him away to drape the blanket over him.

The flash of his transformation caught his attention. He sobered up just enough to recognize the severity of his situation but not enough to get out of it. Plagg, instead of offering a quip, muttered something about catnip affecting his chosen and then promptly fell asleep in Felix’s collarbone.

Felix, covered by the thin veil of Nino’s sheet, leaned against his chest. He could smell the catnip through the sheet and it was still affecting him, plunging him back into a high. After ten minutes of still settling into a high, he sighed. “Nino, can you do me a favor?” he muttered.

“What do you need?”

Felix pulled his phone from his back pocket and slipped it to Nino under the sheet. “My in case of emergency number is speed dial two. It shouldn’t show his name, but it’s the daytime Chat.”

“You want me to call him?” Nino took the phone.

“Yes. My password is _camembert_.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“That I’m high on catnip and won’t be home until the high wears off.”

“It hasn’t worn off?”

“No.”

Nino sighed. Felix heard his phone unlock. His mind still raced, and he tried unsuccessfully to focus on one thought. He heard a speed dial and the faint sound of two rings. Was that the catnip or was his phone really that loud? He should really turn it down.

“Oh. Hi. Before you say anything, it’s Nino. And Chat is kind of in a predicament.” He paused to give way for what sounded like a string of murmuring. “Well, you see, I have a cat. And I used catnip for him. And apparently, Chat Noir is affected by catnip.”

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. The response sounded a lot like “Are you fucking serious?” with stifled giggles.

“Very serious. He’s actually under a sheet right now to preserve his identity.” He paused. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure he’s okay. And catnip is actually beneficial for humans, so he should be okay later too.” Another pause with more mumbling. “No, I didn’t see who he was.” Pause. “Yeah. I guess I can just keep him here until the high wears off, but I don’t know how long that’s gonna be.”

Felix resisted the urge to rub his head against the sheet. The texture of everything was weird, from his cotton button-up to the white sheet messing up his hair. He crinkled his nose. He could still smell the catnip on Nino. “Perhaps washing your hands would help,” he mumbled.

Nino put his hand to the back of Felix’s head as a comforting gesture. However, it only served to envelope him further. Felix was half a step away from purring. Nino continued to talk on the phone. “I’ll call in an hour if he isn’t sobered up by then. I won’t try and reveal him or anything.” Pause. “Okay. Thank you, Chat.”

After a couple seconds, Felix heard the phone being tossed onto the bed. “Wash your hands,” he muttered.

“Can you lay back? I’d rather not let you fall face-first onto my floor.”

Felix nodded and laid back onto the bed, taking care not to jostle Plagg. The sheet draped over him. Nino’s footsteps padded away and came back a minute later. “Okay. Hand catnip is gone. If that was the problem, we’ll find out in ten minutes.” Nino was back. Felix sat up straight and immediately fell into Nino’s chest. “And that’s why I had you lay back. How are you feeling?”

In lieu of a legitimate answer, Felix hummed. It sounded positive in his opinion. It gained him a chuckle from Nino. “How are you?” Felix sighed.

Nino chuckled. “I’m fine, Chat.” He rubbed circles into Felix’s back, which felt strange but incredible. “God, who would’ve known you’d be like this when you’re high?”

Incredibly needy and loving? Yeah, who would’ve known. Adrien would have a laughing fit if he saw this. Felix straightened his back. Unthinking, he pulled at the sheet, trying to pull it away. 

“Oh nononono.” Nino pulled the sheet back to its position. “You are not revealing yourself when you’re high. I am not prepared to deal with that freakout.”

“M’not gonna freak out,” Felix muttered. He pulled at the sheet, only to find Nino was holding it in place.

“I really, really beg to differ.”

Felix made a noise reminiscent of a petulant child. “I wanna kiss you.”

“You can when you’re sober.”

Plagg pushed himself away in a stretch. “We should be feeling better soon,” he sighed. “Though I must say, a catnip high is pretty great. I don’t feel it too often, so thanks for that.”

Felix felt himself get a little more aware. He put his hands at Nino’s side through the sheet. “Yeah,” he sighed. Plagg floated a little bit in front of him, still trying to regain his balance. He drifted halfway through the white sheet in a daze.

It wasn’t until Felix was 90% sober that he talked again. Plagg didn’t seem very happy to be aware. He bounced his head off of Felix’s ring in a very half-hearted attempt before laying in Felix’s lap. 

One of Nino’s hands had drifted from Felix’s back to his head, stroking his hair. Felix tried to recall the things he’d said just a few moments ago. “Thank you for not letting me reveal my identity,” he said.

“No problem. Feeling better?”

“Yeah.” Felix looked down at Plagg, who was almost definitely asleep. He tried to look at Nino through the cloth, which was very much not possible. “I’d still like to kiss you though.”

Nino’s strokes through Felix’s hair stuttered, but he continued. “You’re not transformed.”

“I know. We’ve done it before, though.” He flashed back to the night of the thunderstorm and Nino’s hands unbuttoning the top of his cotton shirt. He was wearing just his button-up and pants now, too. Perfect.

“Chat, if I open my eyes-”

“I trust you.”

“I don’t entirely trust myself.”

Felix didn’t really have an argument for that. His hands tightened on Nino’s sides. He felt back to his normal self now. He could walk in a straight line if he so chose. He contemplated what he could do now. He could just reveal himself to Nino, but that would be a bad idea. 

Nino stopped his petting. “Hold on, I have an idea. Stay here.” Nino stepped away from Felix. Felix heard sounds of rustling and drawers opening and fabric for a good minute. “Okay. You can take the sheet away. I won’t see you.”

Despite his words, Felix was slow to react. He pulled the sheet just under his eyes. Nino was standing there with a tie around his eyes. Everything else was the same; he had no headphones or hat, but he was standing in his trademark blue shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

Felix stood up with Plagg in his hand and set the kwami on the desk. Plagg didn’t even move in his sleep, completely sound. Felix stood in front of a very patient Nino.

The slightest brush of Felix’s fingers against Nino’s jaw made Nino flinch in surprise. Felix paused. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah.”

Felix smiled at him, though he couldn’t see it. His fingers drifted to the back of Nino’s head to pull him in for a kiss.

This was nothing they hadn’t done before. It was normal. Almost routine at this point. But it still somehow felt all new. Every inch of skin that touched Nino’s skin sent an unadulterated thrill through Felix. He started stumbling back with Nino, onto the bed. Felix was the first one to sit, with Nino towering over him. He hooked a leg around Nino’s to pull him closer.

Felix felt Nino’s fingers against his collar, fiddling in vain with the first button. He slid his hands away to undo the collar. Nino’s lips twisted into a smile against his own. Then promptly dropped into a grimace when he heard scratching at the door. From the inside. He started swearing about _stupid cat, so done with this._

Nino turned away and only lifted his blindfold up enough to let the cat out. When he turned back, his blindfold was back down. He awkwardly stumbled his way back to the bed. “Okay. Where were we?”

“I believe you were trying to unbutton my shirt,” Felix teased. He pulled Nino closer by the hips, fitting him nicely between his legs.

“Ah, yes.” Nino pressed his lips against Felix’s again and went back to fiddling with the next button. He actually managed this time, and Nino’s hands pushed under Felix’s shirt. Felix let in a gasp and pressed his lips to Nino’s a little harder. 

With every button undone, Felix came undone a little more. Nino eventually pushed Felix’s shirt off his shoulders, exposing his skin to the air. Felix pulled Nino completely over him. Nino put a knee on the top of the bed.

Felix felt vulnerable, but it was amazing. With every expansive sweep of Nino’s hands across Felix’s front, Felix felt a little part of him break into nirvana. Fuck the catnip high, this was even better.

“Can we switch positions?” Nino mumbled against his lips. Felix nodded and led him onto the bed. In the midst of Nino getting his back on the bed and head against pillows, he mumbled about washboard abs and _this is so not fair._

Felix pulled Nino up by the waist and started pulling his shirt off inch by inch. Felix’s shirt still hung loose, tucked in around his waistband. “How about we even up the playing field?” Felix asked. 

“Careful of the blindfold,” Nino cautioned once his shirt was to his arms.

And he was. Felix pulled Nino up and pulled his shirt over his head with care. He flung it off to the side of the room and went back to kissing Nino. He peppered kisses across Nino’s jaw and down his neck. “No marking unless it’s not visible, right?”

“Right,” Nino sighed. He must have felt Felix’s lips pause just below his collarbone, because his breathing picked up. 

Felix went back to Nino’s lips, lavishing him with kisses. One hand trailed along Nino’s side. Nino’s hands were wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer. As a result, Felix collapsed onto Nino, pressing their chests together. Both boys gasped but kept up. 

At some point, Nino managed to roll them over so Felix was on the bottom. He blindly kissed down Felix’s neck and back up. He was to Felix’s jawline when he paused, still breathing heavily. “Kitten, daytime Chat is gonna call soon if you don’t.”

Felix sighed. What a mood killer. He looked over to Nino’s nightstand where his phone was waiting. He stretched and grabbed it. Password: camembert. Speed dial 3. Two rings. “Hello?”

“Hey. Kindly don’t say names. Anyway. I’m okay. I’m a little bit busy right now, but, uh, don’t wait up for me. Just go to sleep, I’ll be there when you wake up.”

A pause on the other end of the line. “Chat,” and the name clearly felt foreign on his tongue, “Don’t stay out too late. And Nino needs sleep too.”

“I know. I’ll be there eventually. Plagg fell asleep, and I’m letting him get a little nap before I take off.” Which was partially true, just not the entire reason. His kwami was snoring and Nino was breathing against Felix’s neck, hovering just above him. 

Adrien sighed. “Alright. If you’re not back by the time I wake up, I’m assuming the worst and that you’re dead in a ditch.”

“Good to know. Goodnight, brother.” God. Fucking. Damn it. Did he just say that? He just said that. He even felt Nino’s breath stutter against his neck.

He was absolutely sure Adrien caught onto that as well, but he didn’t say anything. “Goodnight.”

Felix hung up and set his phone back on the nightstand. “So, was that a mood killer?”

Nino laughed against Felix’s shoulder. “Not really. But I am getting kind of tired.”

“Would you like me to tire you out more?”

“Hell yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cats actually get a high similar to LSD when they inhale the smell of catnip. It's shortlived and very different from how I described it here, but I'm really happy with this chapter.  
> I considered writing on, but it would get sinful as hell and I'm not inclined to change the rating.
> 
> Requests? Comments? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	18. I Know You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys. Before you read this I need you to steel yourself. Are you sitting down? Yes? Great. Proceed.

When Nino woke up, a pair of arms were wrapped around his waist. His loving boyfriend was breathing peacefully beside him. The two weren’t even under covers, apparently having both fallen asleep before they could scramble under Nino’s comforter. Nino felt the blindfold wrapping around his head, a reminder that if he opened his eyes, he wouldn’t see who his boyfriend was. Even if he had one idea that was sticking in his head. One he had been vehemently denying.

When Nino opened his eyes, his blindfold was askew. He didn’t realize it would be, of course. But that didn’t change the fact that it was and that he could see about half of a face. He immediately recognized this face as Felix Agreste.

His first thought was something along the lines of, _I was right_.

His second thought was, _Oh shit, I was right_.

Nino pulled his blindfold back down, his heart beating like a thundering train in his chest. He had to have been expecting this, right? With all the coincidences lining up perfectly, it was like a neon arrow had been pointing to Felix. 

Everything, every little conversation with Felix, started rushing to him now. Felix asking for details on his midnight rendezvous. How he’d blushed like a rose when Nino started talking about Chat. Felix’s mystery guy-

_“It’s just a stupid crush on a boy who could never like me in return.”_

Who could he possibly have been-oh. Oh. _Oh._ Felix thought Nino didn’t like him, didn’t he? He liked the Chat side of him, the unadulterated and mischievous part of him. So how could he possibly love the side of him he showed to everybody else?

But Nino promised to love both sides of the mask. And he had to admit, Felix Agreste wasn’t a horrible person to love. No matter what Felix himself believed.

But god, what was he supposed to do? Did he tell Felix? When he woke up, would he tell him then? Would he wait until he could pull _Felix_ aside and tell him?

Another possibility presented itself in his mind. Don’t. Play along and wait until Felix (Chat, his mind corrected,) was ready to reveal his identity. Until then, try to get close to Felix. Convince Felix that he was more than what he believed. 

Felix stirred in his sleep. Nino took a deep breath and steeled himself. Then he shook Felix awake. Felix awoke with a groan and stretched out. “Oh shit,” he sighed. His breath washed over Nino’s face. It smelled somewhat like a strange mix between mint and cheese. Felix rolled away from him. “Oh shit,” he said after a moment, with a stronger sense of urgency. “It’s three in the morning. I have to go.” He unraveled himself from Nino and stood up, already buttoning up his shirt.

Nino sat up, wishing he could just take the blindfold off. It’s one thing to be blind, but it’s another thing to be as senselessly blind as he felt now. “Well, at least you got some sleep.”

He heard Felix’s laugh. He’d heard Chat laugh so many times, but the realization that this was Felix’s laugh as well made him smile. For all the sulking and staying to himself Felix did, he could be incredibly passionate. “I guess I did,” Felix agreed. “Plagg. Plagg, wake up.”

Plagg grumbled awake. “Ugh. You might not feel it, but let me tell you: catnip highs have a horrible comedown.”

“You’ve been sleeping for five hours. Wake up. We need to go. You can sleep when we get home.”

Plagg let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Fine.”

“Plagg, transforme-moi!”

The flash of Chat’s transformation was enough for Nino to take his blindfold off. He slipped it away from his head and looked over at his boyfriend. The overwhelming feeling of idiocy came to him. It was literally just Felix in a latex suit and a mask. Chat ran his fingers through his (slightly longer) hair and turned to Nino. “Try to get some sleep, okay?”

Nino nodded. The thought of Felix caring about anything or anybody but Adrien was...new. “I’ll try.” The hell he was. It was pointless. He’d stay up for the rest of the night trying to sort out his feelings. Fuck. Felix was his best friend’s twin brother. Felix was his boyfriend.

He bid his goodbyes to Chat and watched him bound across the rooftops until he couldn’t see him. In the direction of the Agreste Mansion.

Nino resisted the urge to jump off the terrace. He felt so stupid. Of course he’d recognized all the evidence, but his denial that they were the same person kept him out of the know. Now, though? He couldn’t deny it. He was dating Felix Agreste, and that was it. 

And he was okay with that. Totally, perfectly okay.

He spent the rest of the night contemplating his feelings, pacing across his room, and lying in his bed with music blasting through his headphones. As a result, he knew he would be insanely tired when the sun came out. 

He wasn’t wrong. He walked to school with dark circles under his eyes and regret deep in his soul. Even the trek up the stairs in front of the school felt like Mt. Everest. 

Felix was standing with Adrien and Marinette beside the stairs. It forced Nino to draw the second conclusion since midnight: Adrien was daytime Chat Noir. God, give him strength. He walked up to the trio standing there. “Good morning,” he muttered. 

Adrien’s eyebrows shot up. “Didn’t get much sleep last night, did you?”

Nino shook his head. “I got woken up at about three by my cat scratching at the door. Couldn’t get back to sleep after that.”

Felix outstretched his espresso to Nino. He looked just as wrecked, and for decent reason. He must not have gotten much sleep either. But why? Did Adrien chew him out upon return? Nino raised his eyebrows. “Do you want a sip?” Felix asked. 

“No thanks. I think I’ll survive. Thanks, though.”

“No problem.” 

The four of them launched into some random conversation. Both Felix and Nino had to recognize how Adrien now looked at Marinette. He’d looked at her with stars in his eyes for the longest time, but now it was different. He looked at her like she was a force of nature; an awestruck expression coated his features, love deep in his smile.

But hey, that’s what happens when you find out your significant other is the savior of Paris. 

Felix wondered how the reverse would work. 

The first half of the day seemed to drag on terribly slowly. Nino was far more aware of the boy two seats behind him. Every time Felix was called on or made a mumbling remark, it was a strike into Nino’s heart. Was this how Felix felt every day?

“Oh shit,” Alya muttered on the way back from lunch. “It’s lab day. I forgot my lab book.”

Marinette pulled out her phone. “You have ten minutes if you’re getting it.”

“I should.” Alya took a moment to consider. “Okay. I might be late. But I’ll be there.” She took off without another word. The other four forged on.

Alya wasn’t there when the bell rang. “Nino, Felix,” Mrs. Mendeleiev said, “You two can be lab partners. Alya will join another group when she returns.”

Nino wondered if he could physically descend into hell at this very moment. He couldn’t even show his shock or intense fear that he was about to fuck up, either. But oh help him he felt his heart rate pick up in an instant. 

The thought that perhaps Felix felt this way as well was hardly consolation. Nino took his bag to Felix’s table and Marinette shifted to work with Adrien.

Felix, apparently, had mastered the art of pretending nothing was different. He hardly glanced at Nino until they started working. “Okay,” Felix sighed, pulling the paper closer to him. “We need two test tubes. I’ll get the hydrochloric if you get the sodium hydroxide.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Nino looked up at the front table, where the majority of the class was scrambling for materials. “Or we could wait.”

“Waiting sounds fine.”

They started to sit in an awkward silence. Nino was internally screaming at himself to say something, literally anything, but he decided against it. Felix wasn’t one for conversation, after all. So Nino should shut up, right?

“So what kind of music do you listen to?” Nino blurted out. _oh my god what the fuck is wrong with me._

Felix raised an eyebrow at him. His hands were folded to hold his head up, elbows resting on the table. “Orchestral rock.” Met with a blank stare, Felix continued. “It’s the genre you commonly find in trailers. Swelling instrumentals building to an all-encompassing climax. Filled with energy and adrenaline. I like to listen to the sort of music when I’m getting ready to-” He cut off, glancing at Nino. To be Chat Noir? “To go for a run.” Yep. But he wasn’t going to even think about what that might mean to Nino if he hadn’t known.

Not here, anyway. Maybe in the privacy of his own bedroom.

Regardless, a blush bloomed across Nino’s face. He looked down to the table, where it was starting to clear out. “We should go down now.”

Despite being the last to get their supplies, they caught up to the others in no time. Nino, however, couldn’t help but stutter and stammer through the class. 

“Are you alright?” Felix asked halfway through the experiment. He looked genuinely concerned behind his goggles. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Nino said. “Just a little out of it today.”

“Okay. If you need anything at all, I’ll be here.” Felix gave the tiniest smile with it. Nino was reminded now more than ever that god damn it, this was him. This was Chat, his lovely boyfriend, blushing under classroom goggles with that tiny smile. And god damn it was he in love.

“Thank you. It means a lot.”

It wasn’t all he wanted to say by a long shot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. So. I had surgery yesterday. I finished this chapter a few days ago, but it's all I have left. I need to finish Chapter 19, and that's at about 50%.  
> What I'm trying to say is Monday's update might be delayed or skipped, depending on how recovery goes. I'm really sorry, and I'll try to avoid it! But I can't make any promises right now.  
> Thank you for understanding <3
> 
> Requests? Comments? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	19. A Little Visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, I'm alive.  
> I want to thank you all for the support you've given me over the past week or so. All the comments have made my days, even in times like now when every muscle in my body is protesting against movement. :')  
> On with the chapter!

It was somewhat out of character for Adrien to analyze his friends. Felix was incredibly observant. Alya was a rising journalist. Marinette had a thing for making people feel better. Adrien was...involved. He was empathetic and kind, but he didn’t avidly go out of his way and watch his friends for signs of not feeling up to par. He just picked up on little things.

After all, it took him a year to realize Marinette had a crush on him. All those days thinking she hated him or that he made her nervous. That was, until Alya and Nino hung their heads and sighed his name in an eerie unison. 

Then it all seemed too obvious. The stuttering and stammering, the overtalking, the shaking. None of which she seemed to do around Chat Noir. If anything, her responses to him were Ladybug-like. A point he now hated himself for ignoring.

After that, when the weather became too cold, and he pulled out the beautiful blue scarf, his fingers ran along the edge of an embroidered signature. He remembered staring down at it in shock and thinking, _Oh my god. I need to do something._

And he asked her out the next day.

The point is, Adrien doesn’t notice what’s wrong with his friends. He recognized symptoms sometimes, but never the cause.

So when he noticed Nino acting...differently around Felix, he knew it was serious. Because that was not the look of just a friend. As evidenced by the Ladyblog, that was how daytime Chat Noir had been looking at Ladybug for the past couple days. 

“He knows,” Adrien muttered to Plagg, pacing across his bedroom floor. Felix was out getting coffee, so he was safe to talk to Plagg without interruption.

“You think so?” the kwami sighed in return. He hardly opened his eyes to reply. One little paw padded around, looking for cheese.

“He’s looking at Felix in that way, you know?” Met with Plagg lazily blinking at him, Adrien glowered at him. “I don’t know how to explain it, but he totally knows.”

Plagg sighed and lifted himself into the air, piece of Camembert in his tiny hands. “I’ll admit something’s been off about him today.”

“Do you think something happened last night?” Adrien paused. Felix hadn’t been there when Adrien went to sleep. He was there when he woke up, but without a word over how late he’d stayed. A sudden barrage of questions over what happened flooded Adrien’s mind. “Did Felix reveal himself?”

“Nah,” Plagg replied. “Nino did everything he could to not figure out Chat’s identity.”

Adrien sighed. How would Plagg know anyway? According to Felix, they’d both fallen asleep. Anything could have happened. “This is a problem. If he knows Felix’s identity, he’ll figure out all of us.”

“You act like you don’t trust him.”

“I do. It’s just a little concerning, you know?” If he knew Night Chat’s identity, he would definitely figure out Day Chat’s identity. He smiled, a thought coming to mind. “Maybe daytime Chat could pay him a little visit?”

Plagg gave him a glare. “It’s bad enough that Felix transforms just so he can make out with his boyfriend every night. Now you’re checking up on said boyfriend?”

“Just this once,” Adrien pleaded. If Nino knew Day Chat’s identity when it came out that Ladybug and Chat Noir were dating? That would be the icing on the TS Patisserie cake. “We’ll have to figure this out eventually.”

After an intense staredown, Plagg groaned. “Fine.”

“You’re the best. Plagg, transforme-moi!”

Chat looked at the clock. He had an hour at most before Felix came back. He snagged his phone and leaped out of the open window.

Hardly ten minutes later, Chat Noir knocked on Nino’s terrace door. He bounced on his heels rather expectantly as he waited. Music blared from behind the doors, but the songs constantly switched. The music seemed familiar, too, but Adrien couldn’t quite place his finger on what it was. He knocked on the door again, louder. The music stopped.

Nino opened the door with a confused expression. One which quickly turned to startled as he realized who was standing there. “Oh. Hi, Chat.” 

“Hey,” Chat greeted with a grin. Nino would recognize he was the daytime Chat, right? Yeah. Totally. “I was hoping we could talk. Could I come inside?”

“Uh, sure.” Nino stepped aside, allowing Chat inside. “So what do you want to talk about?”

Really got to the point, huh? Chat spun around as Nino closed the slide door. He smiled and clasped his hands in front of him. “You’re dating my counterpart.”

Nino paused, hand on the handle. “Right?” Anxiety was bubbling up inside him, Adrien could tell. 

He’d make it quick. “Right. And you two have gotten quite close over the span of how long you’ve been dating.” Come on, Adrien, spit it out. Maybe this was why Felix waited to tell him about Ladybug. Telling people things was really difficult. “Basically, some evidence has come forth that suggests you might know his identity.” He smiled, even though he was internally screaming. “I wanted to know how accurate that evidence is.”

Nino didn’t answer immediately. He stared Chat in the eye, obviously debating on how to answer. “I-” No, not the right words. He paused. His shoulders scrunched up and his gaze averted to the floor. “Yeah. I do. But it was an accident, I swear.” He paused, Adrien waiting expectantly. “He doesn’t know I know. I wanna keep it that way, so please don’t tell him.”

Chat resisted the urge to recoil. His face twisted into a grimace. “Nino, I don’t know what you’re planning, but if you break his heart, I swear to god-”

“What? No, Adrien, I’m not breaking up with him.” Nino winced at the use of his friend’s name. Still adjusting, then. But hey, he was trying. “I know how important Felix’s identity is to him. The night of the thunderstorm, he was freaking out. He tried to reveal himself when he was on catnip and then thanked me when he was sober for not letting him. I didn’t want to freak him out. He’ll reveal his identity if and when he’s ready, and I can wait for that.”

Instead of immediately responding, Chat took a couple seconds to let Nino’s words sink in. “You’re okay with it?”

“Well, yeah. I promised him I’d love both sides of the mask. I wasn’t exactly lying.”

“And you’re just going to let him reveal himself on his own terms.”

“Yeah.”

“Nino.” Chat came forward and put a hand on each of Nino’s shoulders. “You are the best person anyone could ask for.”

“Uh. I try?”

Chat looked down to the thing winding between his feet. Milo rubbed up against the latex suit, purring in contentedness. Chat grinned and sat on the floor. “Hello, Milo. Do you recognize me?”

In response, Milo crawled into his lap and rubbed against his chest. Adrien stroked down his fur coated back, collecting stray pieces along his way. “I think Milo recognizes me.”

Nino laughed. “Probably. Not sure who he recognizes you as. He didn’t really interact with Felix, though. So there’s that.” He strolled over to his computer. “Hey, do you know what type of music your brother listens to?”

“I hear him listening to a lot of instrumental stuff. Not classical, but a lot of orchestral stuff. It sounds pretty badass sometimes.” Adrien looked over to Nino, still stroking down Milo’s back. “Why?”

“Well, I was thinking of making him a mix tape. I don’t know if it would be the greatest idea, but I’m also incredibly bored and stressed at the same time.” Nino looked Adrien dead in the eye, a smile appearing on his face. “Also. I swear to god. If I hadn’t known his identity, I would have thought your brother almost told me how he masturbates.”

Adrien’s face twisted into an expression of disgust. “Something I don’t want to think about.”

Nino let out a belt of laughter. “I was asking him about his music tastes and he started going on about swelling instrumentals and epic melodies and how he listened to it before he did something. But he cut off. And I know he was talking about going on patrols or whatever. But I swear to god it sounded like he was talking about masturbation.”

Adrien paused his strokes down Milo’s back. “Oh god. If that’s what he’s doing when he blares Les Friction, I’m never going to be able to look at him the same way.” Milo jumped from his arms. “Anyway. Speaking of cats. Plagg-”

Without another word, Plagg was out of the ring and floating in front of Adrien. “I hate this entire situation. Can we go home?”

“Plagg, be polite,” Adrien scolded.

The kwami glowered at him and turned to Nino. “Hey, Nino. Nice seeing you in a context that isn’t you shoving your tongue down my chosen’s throat.”

Adrien scowled at Plagg. “Don’t be vulgar.”

Plagg turned back to Adrien. “Right. Speaking of vulgar, you were out pretty late last night, weren’t you? I have to ask, what were you doing with Marinette?”

A flush crawled across Adrien’s face. “That’s not important.”

Nino laughed. “Nice to see you too, Plagg.” He pulled a folder back up on his desktop. “Okay. I have, like, five songs from Les Friction. I’m out of ideas.”

Adrien rose to his feet and peered over Nino’s shoulder. “Yeah, Felix likes that band. I know some similar bands are like Two Steps From Hell. I’ve seen ES Posthumus around.”

Nino grabbed a pen and scribbled on his stack of sticky notes. With a glance, Adrien noted the sticky on the top of Nino’s monitor. In Felix’s handwriting, detailing that he’d left, he’d taken Nino’s umbrella, and that he loved him. And was that a cat doodle? It was. Adrien smiled. 

“So basically just really epic music. That’s what I’m getting out of this.”

“Pretty much.”

“Cool. I should have it done by Monday.”

“I guarantee Felix will visit you before then anyway.”

Nino sighed. “Yeah. But I can’t give Felix’s mixtape to Chat. That would be a dead giveaway. How is your brother even going to react when he sees I made him a mixtape? Doesn’t that seem a little flirtatious?”

“Well, you are his boyfriend.”

“But he doesn’t know I know that.” Nino groaned and tipped the back of his chair back. “This is frustrating. I want to just tell him. But I don’t want to force him into something he isn’t ready for. I know he thinks I won’t approve of the other side of the mask. That’s why I’m making this mixtape. I want to get close to Felix, to prove that I can love both sides of him. I just don’t want to hurt anyone in the process.”

Adrien shrugged. “I can talk to him, if you want. I won’t outright tell him to reveal, but I’m sure I could help you kinda coax him out of his shell.”

“Thanks, man.” Nino held out his fist.

Adrien knocked his left knuckles with Nino’s. “No problem.”

“Also, tell your brother to keep the cat thing on the inside of his hand. It’s a dead giveaway if anyone notices.”

“I’ll be sure to do that.” Adrien paused and sat on Nino’s bed. Plagg slumped alongside him in a pout. “By the way, how did you find out Felix’s identity?”

Nino let out a huff of a laugh. “Well. Last night, once Felix sobered up, he decided he wanted to not be under a sheet. So I used a tie as a little makeshift blindfold, right?”

“Makes sense. Go on.”

“And we fell asleep facing each other. Well. I wake up and apparently my blindfold kind of...shifted.”

“Oh.” 

“Yeah. So I wake up and get a face-full of Felix Agreste less than a foot away. He was still asleep and everything. So I pulled the blindfold back down and woke him up.”

“So that’s it?” Adrien clarified. “Just a little mistake?”

“Yeah,” Nino responded. He pursed his lips. “Now. Can I ask a question?”

“Fire away.”

“Why can’t Felix take his ring off?”

Plagg floated up in front of Adrien. “I can take this. Okay. The key to getting the ring off is one kiss from Ladybug herself. It must be out of love, not just practicality.”

“And she doesn’t love him?”

Adrien and Plagg both shook their heads. “She’s already taken,” Adrien said. A sudden wave of guilt overwhelmed him as he recalled the day they’d been chosen. Felix had asked which rings they were supposed to choose. Adrien had jumped in head-first and chosen the silver ring. It was his fault the rings were switched.

Nino watched Adrien sulk in his pit of guilt. Already taken. By--oh. “Ladybug. She’s Marinette, isn’t she?” Of course. The love-struck glances from Chat everywhere they’d been seen together lately. That would explain it.

“Yeah.” Adrien met Nino’s gaze. “Don’t tell anyone or bring it up or anything.”

“Of course not.” Nino leaned back in his chair. “So are Ladybug and Chat Noir going to become a public item?”

“We can’t,” Adrien said. “Chat Noir might be dating Ladybug, but _Chat Noir_ is dating Nino Lahiffe.”

Nino sighed. “I’m sorry.”

Adrien straightened up, eyes widening in surprise. “What? Don’t be. Nino, I haven’t seen Felix this happy since-” He caught himself in the sentence. His eyes averted. "Well. Never mind. But trust me. You make him really happy."

The words made Nino flush. Since what?

Perhaps it was better not to ask, he decided. He didn’t need to know everything.

His phone buzzed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't be able to respond to all the comments, and I'm not sure about Monday's update (it's a little up in the air right now). To be perfectly honest, about 80% of my past week has been spent either sleeping or in the hospital. Or both.  
> However, I'll be responding to questions you have for me.   
> Thank each and every one of you for all the support you've given. It means the world to me. <3
> 
> Requests? Questions? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	20. So Close

The rest of the day passed without incident. Night Chat sent a message saying he wouldn’t be able to come by. It was accompanied by a selfie with Ladybug of the two striding alongside each other. Ladybug was bubbling over with happiness, which was exactly like Marinette. Chat was scowling, which was the epitome of Felix’s daily expressions.

Saturday was a lazy day. Nino let both Milo and Otis in his room. Milo immediately set to work distressing everything Nino owned with his claws. Otis spent the day pawing at Nino’s legs until he let the pug into his lap. 

Nino took the CD out of the tray just as the knock came on his terrace. He glanced at the time. 9:28. He smiled and shut out of iTunes. The disc went into a case full of mixtapes, unmarked, at the very end. He opened the terrace door, where Chat was waiting for him.

“You’re early,” he teased. Chat had been swirling his tail with one hand. He grabbed it and pulled him inside.

“Really? Guess I should hold off on seeing you, then.” Chat put his trademark smirk on, striding confidently with Nino. He even had the foresight to close the door behind him. A cat with manners. Nino could get behind that. Unlike Milo, who was scratching at Nino’s bedpost with reckless abandon. 

“No, no. That’s okay. I like a punctual boyfriend.” 

Chat grinned. “Good.” He looked down at his feet. Otis sniffed at his boots, curly stump of a tail wagging. “This is Otis, isn’t it?”

“Yep.” Nino leaned down and picked up Otis. The dog wriggled in his arms, looking about with excitement. He barked at Felix. “I promise he doesn’t bite. He’s just very excited.”

One of Chat’s gloved hands faced palm up for Otis to sniff. “Don’t worry about it,” Chat said with a smile. “The cat costume probably doesn’t help.”

Nino shrugged. “Probably.”

Chat pet a line down Otis’ back and got a tail wag in response. “I used to have a beagle when I was a kid. Her name was Solace.” Otis was clambering in Nino’s arms, scrambling to get closer to Chat. Chat had a warm smile on his face, staring down at Otis.

“Would it be insensitive to ask what happened to her?” Nino questioned. He adjusted his grip on Otis so he wouldn’t fall.

Chat shrugged. “We had to get rid of her. She’s living with a family nearby now. I think she’s going on twelve now.”

A family nearby. Did Nino know a family nearby with a beagle named Solace? Sure, it sounded familiar, but he couldn’t think of anyone in particular. “Otis is a rescue,” Nino said. “So we don’t know how old he is. And he’s a little hyperactive. But he’s a sweetheart.”

“He certainly seems like one,” Chat said, almost in a cooing voice. He scratched behind Otis’ ear.

Otis scrambled more wildly towards Chat, forcing him to either come closer or let the dog fall. He chose the former, coming close enough for Otis to touch both Nino and Chat’s chests. As a result, the boys bumped foreheads. They looked up at each other, Chat’s ears twitching just a little bit. 

A grin spread across Chat’s face that didn’t belong to him. Somehow, it belonged to...Felix? No. Not him either. It wasn’t the mischievous love of Chat or the reserved silence of Felix. It was one-hundred percent him. It wasn’t either of them. It was who he actually was, and Nino, of all people, got to see it.

Nino kissed him.

A few seconds later, the two scrambled to push Milo and Otis out of the room and close the door. Chat’s lips were on Nino’s the second the door locked. “Sorry I couldn’t come by yesterday.”

“S’okay,” Nino muttered. His arms went around Chat’s waist, pulling him closer. “I’m sure every night can get pretty exhausting for you.”

Chat hummed. “My bloodstream is comprised of mainly caffeine.”

Nino very nearly said _I know_ , but that sounded like a bad idea. “You should still get proper sleep. Someone so concerned about their identity wouldn’t sleep in their boyfriend’s bed if they weren’t exhausted.”

Chat’s movement stuttered. His eyebrows pulled together. He pulled away. “What, did you look?”

“No.” Not on purpose, anyway. Hopefully Felix wasn’t good at picking apart tells. “But it’s not that hard to figure out that someone’s sleeping next to you.”

Chat’s eyes searched his for a moment. A nervous smile cracked through his face. One hand cupped Nino’s face. “Yeah.”

Nino took one hand and put it over Chat’s. “Is something wrong?”

A little look of surprise crossed Chat’s eyes. “No,” he said with a shake of his head. “Just. Day Chat and Ladybug have both been talking to me about the _joys of being revealed_ ,” he said. His free hand came up to show spirit fingers and he rolled his eyes. “They showed each other their identities for their anniversary, and haven’t shut up about how smooth their relationship has been since.” He shrugged, free hand dropping to his side. “I think I’m just being paranoid.”

Ah, yes. Guilt. In waves. Just crashing over Nino. He looked up at Chat with somewhat forlorn eyes. “It’s okay. I’m not pressuring you into a reveal. You can tell me if or when you’re ready. And whoever you are, we’ll work it out.” Hell, Nino already had it worked out.

Chat huffed out a laugh. “I’m just...” He searched for the words, looking at the ground. The hand on Nino’s face slipped to hold his at their waists. “What if I’m not who you expected?”

Yeah, Nino highly doubted that. “Then I’ll be pleasantly surprised.” He used his free hand to tilt Chat’s head and look him in the eye. “I promise. Whoever you are behind the mask, whether I know you or not, no matter how you act, you’re still my boyfriend. You’re the boy who’s made me happier than I could ever believe. I promise I will love you no matter who you are.”

Tears were welling in Chat’s eyes despite his wishes. “You don’t know that.”

_Oh, you’ve got no idea._ Nino wiped under Chat’s eyes. “I do. And even if it isn’t immediate-” Which it absolutely would be, “-I’ll fall in love with you. Every side of you.”

Chat caught Nino’s hand in his and sniffled. Nino used the moment of silence to re-evaluate. In the past year, had he truly convinced Felix so truly that he hated him that now his friendship was unbelievable? Damn it. He’d never hated Felix. He was just being childish.

And now it was biting him in the ass. Because he was standing here, watching his boyfriend hold back tears. Without a second thought, he threw his arms around Chat’s neck and pulled him in for a hug. Chat shook, letting his tears flow. He pulled Nino close, pressing him to his chest.

The first beep of Chat’s ring elicited a broken sob from the hero. Nino went to pull away, but Chat just tightened his grip.

“Chat-”

“I know.” The second beep came. “I want to.” He sniffled. 

“Only if you’re absolutely sure,” Nino replied. He paused. He should say something. The awkward silence pierced by the third beep. “I know you, don’t I?”

Chat nodded. “Yeah.” He still sounded choked, as if he was still crying. Nino hugged Chat a little tighter, the bell slipping onto Nino’s shoulder with a jingle. “I’m sorry.”

Nino debated with himself for a solid two seconds. Then he pulled away to look Chat in the eye. “Chat, you can’t do this.” Met with a look of shock, he continued. “If you’re going to reveal yourself, you need to be in the right mindset. Not when you’re just guilty because of someone else’s relationship.” He gripped Chat’s hands in his. The fourth beep. “I love you. I will love you no matter what. But if you’re going to tell me who you really are, you need to be okay with that.”

He dropped Chat’s hands and walked past him. He could feel Chat’s eyes on him as he grabbed a tie from the front of his closet and slipped it over his eyes. He didn’t pay attention to the bright flash of Chat’s transformation.

Plagg, in all his whining glory, demanded attention. Neither of the boys gave it to him. “Your stupid, sappy lovestruck stuff is getting out of hand. I can’t handle this anymore. This is ridiculous.” He settled on the desk, still muttering.

Nino secured the tie around his eyes and turned. He heard footsteps drawing closer and lips at his forehead. Felix sighed, his hands resting at Nino’s shoulders. They momentarily drew up. Nino felt Felix’s fingers at the edges of the makeshift blindfold and his breath hitched. 

Then they fell away. Felix grabbed Nino’s hands. It took a second for him to speak. “Can we just...talk?”

“Of course.”

Somehow, they ended up sprawled across Nino’s bed. Nino’s feet kicked off the side and his fingers combed through Felix’s hair. Felix’s head tipped back against Nino’s stomach as he laughed. “Excuse you, but your akuma design was horrendous,” Felix laughed.

“Okay. I think that’s fair. But compare the Bubbler to Mister Pigeon.”

Felix paused. “You have a point there.”

The statement elicited a laugh from Nino. The two sat in a comfortable silence for a while. It was nice. Nino combing through Felix’s hair as they sat in silence. Nino had started to think Felix had fallen asleep until he spoke. “I’m sorry about getting emotional earlier.”

“It’s no problem. Your identity is important to you.”

“It’s not that,” Felix said. “It’s just-” Words. What were the words he needed? “You know me. Outside of the costume. And I’m afraid that this will just mess things up.”

Nino didn’t stop carding his fingers through Felix’s hair. “Yeah, I caught that. It doesn’t matter. I’ll still learn to love you, no matter who you are.” He smiled. “I mean, technically I’m talking to the civilian you right now.”

“Do you have a name to my face?”

Yes. “No.”

“Exactly.” Felix sighed and sat up. Nino sat up, listening intently. “I want to tell you who I am. I really do. But saying you’ll still love me...I still kind of doubt that.”

“Why would you doubt it?”

“I’m really problematic.”

“Then you’ll be my problematic fave.” Nino leaned over and wrapped his arms around Felix’s waist. His skin found a silk-like vest and cotton-covered arms came to rest over his. If Nino hadn’t already known, he might be able to make a pretty informed guess as to who Chat was.

Felix laughed. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

More comfortable silence passed as they sat there. Felix sighed and moved around a little. “It’s almost 10:30. My brother’s probably back from his date by now.”

“Are you leaving?”

“I probably should.” He made no move to get up. Nino adjusted his grip so that he was sitting right beside Felix. He planted a gentle kiss to his shoulder. After a couple minutes, Felix sighed. “Okay. I’m getting up.” 

When he still didn’t move, Nino smiled against his shoulder. “Are you, now?”

“Totally.” Felix budged just a little. Nino thought he was going to actually get up until he collapsed on top of Nino. He turned and wrapped his arms around Nino’s waist, his head on Nino’s chest. Nino’s back hit the bed. “I don’t think I want to go home,” Felix sighed.

“What’s wrong with home?”

“Nothing, but if I have to listen to my brother say another word about how perfect his relationship has been, I might rip my hair out.”

Nino laughed. “I know how you feel. I swear to god, Adrien and Marinette-” Oh god. Save self. Now. “-The resident cheese couple? It’s like they’re newlyweds or something. They can’t stay away from each other.”

Felix groaned. “Ladybug and Chat are the exact same way. Whether they’re in or out of costume, they’re constantly with each other. Don’t get me wrong, Ladybug is a wonderful girl. But I can only handle so much of her enthusiasm.” God, he sounded so practiced. Almost like he believed Ladybug was a different person from Marinette.

With a hum of agreement from Nino, they slipped into another silence. A couple minutes later, Felix shifted to stand. “Plagg, transforme-moi!”

Plagg groaned before the flash of light. Nino slipped his blindfold off and squinted his eyes. “Ugh. The light feels bright now.”

Chat smiled down at him. “Sorry about that.”

“No problem.” Nino stood and stretched tall. He didn’t miss Chat’s glance at the sliver of skin that revealed itself when his shirt rode up.

“Well. I should get going.” Chat stepped closer to Nino and grabbed his hand.

“I guess you should. Snap me when you get home, okay?”

“Will do.”

Nino watched Chat leap away from his terrace with a sigh in his throat. “See you on Monday, Felix.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Through a strange path of coincidences and such, Solace lives with Sabrina now.   
> (I'm feeling better and might be able to pull ahead on chapters this week -- fingers crossed. But I have a plan in mind for the remainder of this story. So that's great! Thanks again for your support <3)
> 
> Requests? Comments? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	21. Plans In Place

Adrien was laying on Felix’s bed when Chat Noir leapt through the window. He completely disregarded the bright flash of light. Plagg was unbelievably silent for once. “How’d it go?” Adrien asked, not looking away from his book. 

Felix loosened his tie as he headed to his dresser. The poster still hung beside it, loud and bright against the wall. “Well. I had a slight breakdown.”

“You what?” Adrien clasped his book closed without a bookmark and shot up.

Well, that caught his attention. Felix stripped the tie off his neck and dropped it into the basket by the dresser. “Listening to you and Marinette talk constantly about how perfect your relationship has been since the reveal.” Felix started unbuttoning his vest. “I don’t know. I want to tell Nino, but at the same time, I don’t.”

“You know you can do that at your own pace.”

“Of course. And I should. But I want to. And if I let my fear hold me back, I’m never going to tell him who I really am.” Felix shrugged the vest off and dropped it in the basket. “It’s just. How do I know he’s not going to turn tail and run the moment he finds out I’m his best friend’s brother? Not to mention, him finding out who I am means he’ll find out who you and Ladybug are.”

Adrien seemed to almost laugh. He huffed through his nose with a smile. “Dude, I know Nino. He’s not going to run away or whatever. I’m pretty sure if he had a free pass to talk about it, Chat Noir would be all he talked about.”

“Yeah. And he’s been so great about handling all of this.” He made a vague gesture to himself. “But there’s so much to take into consideration. And even if he does accept who I am, it’s not like Felix and Nino can be in a relationship. Because Chat and Nino are already dating. And to everyone else, that would be cheating.”

“Everyone else being Alya.”

“Well, yes.”

“Well, Daytime Chat Noir, the one she has to interview-” Adrien added a short glare, “-is dating Ladybug. So if we coordinate the interview to be after your reveal and after Nino has gotten used to dating you, we can arrange for that.”

Felix sighed and started unbuttoning his shirt. “This is all so complicated.”

His phone buzzed from his pocket. He fished it out and found he had two new snaps: one from Ladybug and one from Nino.

He opened the Ladybug one first. It was a video of Marinette alongside Alya. Alya was vehemently explaining her latest theories and revelations in Operation Reveal Ladybug 2k16. What Felix really caught was that she knew Chat and Ladybug had to be dating, but that’s impossible because Chat is dating Nino, right?

Felix snorted. “Well, we might not have to worry about the relationship thing for long. Alya’s already getting suspicious.”

“Really?” Adrien said with raised eyebrows. “I should talk to Marinette about that, shouldn’t I?”

“Probably.” Felix opened Nino’s snap.

He recognized Milo, scratching at a cardboard scratching post like it had killed his family. The video went on for a full ten seconds. He could hear Nino stifling his laughter from behind the phone. “I’m going to end up desensitizing him to catnip. I don’t even care,” he whispered.

Felix smiled down at his phone screen. 

“You’re such a dork,” Adrien groaned. He stood and stretched. “Plagg, come sleep in my room tonight. I made your little nest and everything.”

Plagg rose off Felix’s desk with a groan. “Fine. Goodnight, Felix.”

“Goodnight,” Felix said. He waved to both of them. Adrien shut the door behind him. Felix dressed in a black t-shirt and sweatpants. He should respond. 

He was going to reveal himself soon, right? He should get used to showing at least part of his face. He raised the camera to show just his mouth and grinned.

The black shirt helped, he supposed. The grin felt so out of place when he wasn’t behind a mask, despite how the mask wouldn’t have been visible. His hair was still slicked back, but poking out behind the sides of his neck. That was okay, right? He squinted at the screen. How was he supposed to caption that? 

Catnip. He could say plenty on that subject. It was hard to remember much of his high, but he remembered how everything around him felt intensified. He could feel every fiber in the blanket, and Nino’s touch through the blanket had made him melt. _I know how you feel, Milo._

Yeah. That would work. He sent it off.

Nino’s response came a few minutes later, a video again. Milo no longer tore at the scratching post, instead covering it by laying on it. He looked around, his motions precise. Nino had captioned it instead of speaking. _Are you saying you want to feel that again?_

Felix quickly realized Nino was going to be the death of him. Even if it was from afar. He double tapped. His own face was reflected back at him, an expression of surprise written across it. He tilted the camera down and sighed. One ruffle of his hair later, he felt a little more confident. He sat on his bed with his back against the headboard and his knees tucked to his chest. Nose down. Grin spread wide.

He pursed his lips at the attempt of a picture. It looked exactly the same. He needed to change just a little. Nino’s caption had seemed somewhat flirtatious. Should he reciprocate?

Before he could answer the question for himself, Nino sent another video snap. He was in bed with an expression of disgust. Felix could hear a fan in the background. “Well. Milo’s gone so he can’t scratch me. It’s humid as hell in here.” That was the end of that snap. Nino sounded like that wasn’t the end of the sentence, though.

The next one came not even ten seconds later. It came as a still image. One which made Felix’s entire face flush. _Breathe, Felix,_ he thought. _It’s not like you haven’t seen him shirtless before._

But there he was. In all his shirtless glory. With the slight two-pack. And a smirk worthy of a place under Chat Noir’s mask. In more ways than one. The caption read, _so this’ll do._

How on heaven’s good Earth was Felix supposed to respond to that? He resisted the urge to screenshot the image. _Focus on yourself._

Okay. How could he reciprocate? He could take his own shirt off. Maybe. In the face of the camera, he adjusted his collar so it sat a little wider. The shirt already hung loose on his shoulders, so it showed a fair portion of his collarbone. The edge of his fading mark poked out, and Felix smirked. He pulled the collar so it showed it, though it was, in fact, fading. He grinned like a Cheshire cat and snapped the picture.

_Do you usually sleep like that?_

Send.

Two minutes of anxious waiting. Nino’s snap came back. It was more centered around his face, but it was a video of him talking, so that was expected. “Well, usually, yeah. But I’m trying to get a mood going here.” He added a wink, and the snap ended.

Well. He had to respond with a video now. But how to go about it? 

Chat was a bit of a joker. And if the past few weeks hadn’t taught Felix anything about taking risks? 

He set his phone aside to strip his shirt off. Looking in the camera, he felt...lanky. His shoulders were narrow. In fact, his entire frame was, despite the strength he’d developed. He sighed. This was him. This was the boy Nino had been ravishing and god damn it if he wasn’t going to push himself just a little bit.

He spread his lips into a grin and held down the capture button. “What’s that about mood? I’m not ruining it, am I?” he teased. He swiped through the video filters, finding nothing really fit. Natural was fine. He didn’t add anything else to it before he sent it to Nino.

The next few minutes comprised of his knees tucked to his chest and his fingers tapping against the case in impatience. The air in his room was kind of cold. Was it always this cold?

Nino’s response came soon enough. It was just an image with a caption, but “just” was an understatement. _I don’t think much can ruin the mood for me rn.._ The camera tilted up from a place at Nino’s hips. His head was tilted so you could see only about a third of his face, but you could see his lips were twisted into a smirk. He was still shirtless and Felix could see his hipbones and _oh my god was that a happy trail_ -

The image disappeared. Felix seriously contemplated replaying it. How was he supposed to top that?

He laid down in his bed, his gray bedspread clumping around him. His sweatpants had shifted low, showing the band of his boxers. Calvin Klein. He didn’t put it much farther past that, but he puffed his chest and abs up with an arch of his back. He put the camera just high enough to show the bite of his lower lip and snapped the picture. _So tell me, what kind of mood are you in?_

The picture response came almost immediately. The camera was held above Nino’s head, capturing from his collarbone past his feet. He was wearing the same sweatpants from that night, though they had also come down to show the band of his boxers. And Felix’s brain just froze. The band said Agreste. Those were Agreste brand underwear.

There was no caption. Felix was frozen in shock.

That was his name. Even if he couldn’t bring it up without raising suspicion. It gave him a certain thrill of possession. A grin spread across his face. He held the camera high without a second thought. From his mouth to just under the band of his boxers. He put a thumb under the band, pulling it down just a little, and bit his lower lip with dazzling white teeth. He snapped the picture. Caption, _Oh. I think I rather like that mood._ And send.

Instead of a picture, a little notification popped up at the top of the screen. Nino is calling...

Felix pressed accept, careful to tilt the camera away. But it wasn’t a video call, just a regular Snapchat call. Shit, those existed?

Nino wasted no time. “Okay. I love you. A lot. But I just panicked. I don’t think I’m ready for us to sext yet. Is that okay?”

“Oh my god, yeah, that’s totally okay.” Felix watched the bubbles as each of them talked. “Honestly, I was going to back out if you didn’t.” 

He heard a sigh from the other side of the line. “Good. That’s good.” Nino paused. “So, what’s up?”

Oh, so that’s how he was going to play it? Send Chat a picture of his abs (and that Agreste-brand underwear) and then go straight to “what’s up.” Right. Of course. Never mind that Felix was still very much red in the face.

“Just talking to you, my dear,” Felix responded with a smirk Nino couldn’t even see.

“You charmer, you.”

“I try.”

Nino sighed. “I have to admit, it was nice getting a glimpse of who I’ve been feeling up for the past couple of weeks.”

“It was nice getting a glimpse of you, regardless.” He narrowed his eyes. “But just humor me for a second. Aren’t you friends with those Agreste boys?”

Nino let a silence hang in the air. He absolutely was not going to tell him that he bought that pair shortly after he caught Felix’s identity in hopes that Felix would find it humorous. “Yes.” He paused. “In my defense, these are very nice underwear.”

“I didn’t say they weren’t,” Felix said between bursts of laughter. “Still though, isn’t it a little strange to walk around with your friends’ names on your hips?”

“I don’t give a lot of thought to my underwear during the day. Do you?”

“No. But they’re your friends.” Including Felix. Somehow.

“Yes. And these are my underwear.”

Felix pursed his lips. “Right.”

Nino paused for what felt like an eternity. “Are you...Are you jealous?” Well, it’s what he would have thought if he didn’t know his identity.

“What? No, of course not.” Just slightly possessive. Slightly. 

“Oh my god. Chat Noir is a jealous boyfriend.”

“Nino.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone you’re super mega jealous of the Agreste twins.”

“I am not.”

“Who can blame you? They’re both pretty cute.” Oh, this was an opening. Right here. “I have to admit something to you.”

Felix hesitated. “What is it?”

“If I wasn’t dating you, I would totally be hitting on Felix.”

The silence that passed felt...somewhat loud, in a way. Piercing, at the very least. “Isn’t Felix the uptight one? Wouldn’t you be better off with someone else?” He was so screwed.

“Well, I’m better off with you. And he can get kind of Scrooge-y at times. But once you get to know him, he really is a good guy.” He paused. “And I’m a sucker for green eyes.”

Oh, that was it. He had to reveal. Soon. God. He couldn’t wait until he was revealed, so he could pull Nino aside at will. If he was open to Felix? 

In the midst of a response, he looked around his room for inspiration. And there was his violin case, propped up against the wall. Well. There was an idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was able to pull ahead this week. Which is...really surprising. But good. Anyway. Because I pulled so far ahead and didn't want to end up writing angst for five chapters straight, I wrote some drabbles for an original project of mine. I was wondering if you guys would be interested in seeing some of that?
> 
> Requests? Comments? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	22. Longer and Shorter

Adrien bounced on his heels, watching Felix grab his violin case. “You’re gonna do it? You’re really gonna do it?”

“Not today, of course.” He grabbed the scrap paper from his bed. Mondays were the worst. He needed coffee. The brief flash of a thought ran through his mind to message someone else. Maybe someone could get it for him. If Nino didn’t know how he took his coffee, Marinette had been around long enough to know. “I have planning to do for it.” He looked down at Adrien’s collar. “And Plagg, I have things to coordinate with you.”

Plagg’s head popped out from Adrien’s t-shirt. “Of course you do. Why wouldn’t you? Can’t just come out and say ‘Hey, I’m Chat’ like other Chat Noirs in the past. No, you have to be fancy about it.” He scowled. “Two chosens. So complicated. So stupid.”

Adrien pushed his head back down. “Let Felix have his reveal.” He looked back over at Felix with a grin. “But you’re really going to do it?”

“Yeah.”

“When?”

Oh, hell. “I’m not sure. I still need to put everything in order. I was thinking of this Friday.”

Out came Plagg’s muffled screams of “I have to put up with this for another god damn week?” Both of the boys promptly ignored these screams.

“Friday sounds great,” Adrien said. “Oh, he’s going to be so happy when he finds out it’s you.”

Felix gave a weak smile. “You think so?”

“Totally.” Adrien nudged his brother with his elbow. “He’s a sucker for your eye color.”

“Our eye color, you idiot.” He let a silence pass as they walked down to the lobby. They were at the door when Felix decided to speak again. His mind was still stuck with Saturday night as he processed what was too far. “Can I ask an honest question without it getting weird?”

“Sure.”

“You and Marinette. How far have you gone?”

Adrien lifted his eyebrows. “How far?” It took him a couple seconds to understand. When he did, his eyes widened. “Ohhhhhh. Oh. We haven’t had sex, if that’s what you’re asking.” He stopped and stood at the bottom of the steps. “Originally, it was until we’d revealed our identities. Now it’s a matter of principle and waiting until we’re both ready.” He shrugged. “Do you want to stop and get coffee?”

How did Adrien end up being the twin unfazed by sex? How was Felix the blushing virgin here? He blinked in shock for a couple seconds. “Uh, yeah. Coffee sounds good.”

They walked in silence until they’d hit halfway down the block. Adrien looked over to Felix. “Have you and Nino?”

“Have we-” Felix’s brows furrowed and raised. “Oh. No. I don’t think either of us are ready for that yet. He doesn’t even know who I am yet.” They both looked both ways at the intersection. Not that they needed to. It was blissfully peaceful, somehow. “And I’m not getting close to that while Plagg the demon cat is a meter away.”

Felix got his usual coffee order: two cream, one sugar. He found a place for the scrap paper while they waited. Now to just keep it safe. 

Nino was already there when the twins got to school. He laid in the exact center of the court, spread eagle. Adrien took the first strides towards him and leaned over his head. “Good morning, sleepy-head.”

Nino gave a little salute to Adrien and let his arm flop back to the ground. “Morning, Adrien.” Felix came to stand on the other side of him, blue violin case gripped tightly. “Felix. Nice to see you.”

“Likewise.”

“How were your weekends?”

“Fine,” Adrien answered.

“Nice. And yours?” Felix asked.

“Splendid.” He cracked open his eyes. “Oh. Felix. I have something to give you.” He raised himself to a sitting position with a groan. Felix could swear he heard a crack as Nino got to his feet. The three trudged over to the stairwell, where Nino’s backpack was slumped against the ground. Nino grabbed a jewel case holding a CD out of the front pocket. “I got kinda bored. So I made you a mixtape.”

Felix took the clear case. A track list was taped onto the back. “Uh, thanks.”

Adrien put on a fake scowl. “You’ve never made me a mixtape.”

“It will be a cold day in hell when I go combing through anime openings and vocaloid songs for a mixtape. Trailer music, on the other hand? That’s tolerable.” Nino smiled and crossed his arms. 

“And why don’t you make a mixtape for your boyfriend?” 

Nino’s nose scrunched up. “Classical.”

Felix looked up from the track list with raised eyebrows. “And what’s wrong with classical?”

“Nothing, really. I just don’t like it personally.”

Adrien crossed his arms. “No problem going through trailer music, though.” He almost sounded like Plagg with that level of grouchiness. Felix held back a smirk.

“Oh my god, Adrien.” Nino turned to Felix. “How have you lived with this kid your entire life?”

Felix shrugged. “It’s a mystery to us all.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “Oh, go suck a dick.”

“Yes,” Nino said with a deadpan tone, uncrossing his arms. “Wonderful idea. Say that to the gay kid. Great plan.” He fished his phone out of his pocket. “Hold on, let me just text my boyfriend.”

“What, you’re going to suck Chat Noir off in the locker rooms?” Adrien teased.

“Maybe I will,” Nino challenged.

Felix was blushing from his hairline to his shoulders. He took a sip of his coffee and pursed his lips. Chat would absolutely not make an appearance today. At least, not until he could have Nino to himself. So he resisted the urge to make a remark that would absolutely give his identity away and stayed quiet while Adrien and Nino bickered.

Marinette joined the group soon after, which promptly cut the talk of blowjobs short. As Adrien and Marinette cuddled up to each other, Nino and Felix contemplated if they’d be the same after the reveal. Felix both detested the idea and loved it.

Alya was the last to join, a mere ten minutes before the bell rang. She was breathless and scatterbrained, and she dragged Marinette away as soon as she could. “Girl stuff,” she explained with a wave of her hand. Adrien, Felix, and Nino stared after them with confused expressions.

“That was...” Adrien trailed off.

“Suspicious,” Nino finished for him.

Felix shrugged. “Probably about the Ladyblog.”

The day seemed to pass dreadfully slow, as most Mondays do. Felix finished his work halfway through lunch and spent the rest of lunch considering the perfect scenario for his reveal.

Perhaps he could take Nino to the top of the Eiffel Tower, underneath the starlit sky of Paris. Or he could do it in the middle of the day. Or perhaps on his terrace at sunset, when the day was just dying down.

He had plenty of options, but he felt that he already knew what he would do. So after school, he gathered Plagg into his room and started playing.

“That’s the cheesiest thing I have ever heard,” Plagg said, effectively cutting Felix off. Felix lowered his hands, violin at his waist. He resembled a scared child, the way he curled in on himself. Plagg sighed. “And he’s going to love it.”

“You think so?” Felix asked.

“Yeah.” Plagg crossed his arms. “I refuse to admit anything more than that.”

A little smile crossed Felix’s face. “Thank you, Plagg.”

“Yeah, yeah. You can repay me by leaving me out of all this once you’re revealed.”

Felix huffed out a laugh. “Oh, believe me. I will.”

And just like that, everything seemed to be in balance. Felix went through the rest of the day as normal. The only exception presented itself in the form of reddened fingertips. Once he was transformed, that didn’t really matter. 

Even patrol went smooth as could be. “It’s a slow night,” Ladybug commented. “It’s been slow for the past couple weeks, actually.”

Chat stood beside her, looking out over Paris. “Do you think he’s planning something?”

“He has to be, right?” She crossed her arms. “It’s never this quiet.”

“Maybe he’s just taking a break.”

Ladybug scoffed. “Yeah, right. Papillon on vacation. There’s a twist.”

“Stranger things have happened,” Chat defended.

By Wednesday, the entire week seemed to be going smoothly. Felix had downloaded Nino’s mixtape onto his phone and listened to it whenever he got the chance. Chat visited his boyfriend by night and sat across from him in a study group by day. 

He perfected timing with Plagg, got a coffee with two cream and one sugar, and drummed his fingers on the table until someone told him to stop. He patrolled with Ladybug, landed on Nino’s terrace, and told him to wash his catnip-covered hands before he came anywhere near him. But if his shirt smelled just a bit like catnip, Chat wouldn’t complain. 

“So I know you in the daytime,” Nino would muse, intertwining his fingers with Chat’s.

“Yes,” Chat would respond after a moment’s hesitation. “Don’t think too deeply about it.”

“I won’t,” would come the response with a squeeze of his latex-covered fingers. He didn’t need to think about it. Whether the boy next to him was Chat or Felix, it was natural. And it was the boy he’d fallen in love with. 

Felix would hold back his comments when Nino’s shirt rode up, revealing a sliver of his Agreste-brand underwear. And if Nino noticed how that only seemed to make his eyes a little more heavy-lidded and his gaze a little more predatory, he didn’t comment.

But he would absolutely continue wearing this brand. 

“I swear your teeth get sharper when you’re transformed,” Nino breathed out. 

“You think so?” Chat asked with his lips against Nino’s neck.

“I know so.” Nino felt Chat’s lips twist into a smirk against his skin. 

“Your knowledge would be correct. My teeth get sharper, my hair gets longer-”

“Is that the only thing that gets longer?” Nino cut him off with a grin. 

“Do you want to find out?” Chat wasted no time in responding, hardly even stopping his kisses. Two could play at this game.

Nino fidgeted under him. “Hm. Not tonight,” he conceded.

“Shame,” Chat muttered. “And at risk of detransforming, dare I say you would have rung my bell?”

The boys waited in hesitant silence for two seconds. Chat’s ring beeped. Both of them laughed. Nino squirmed out from under Chat and grabbed the tie from his closet door, still laughing. “He’s so touchy.”

No sooner had Nino gotten the tie in a knot was Plagg out of the ring, ranting. “I hate you both. Once, I can understand. It’s a reasonable pun. But twice? You abhorrent excuse for a human being.”

Felix sat on his heels and tried to stop laughing. “Sorry, Plagg.”

“No, you’re not.” Plagg started drifting away from him. “Stupid puns. Stupid costume. Stupid dual chosens. Had to be them that Fu chose.”

Nino blindly fumbled his way to the bed, where Felix waited at the edge. “Was the pun worth it?” Nino joked.

“Absolutely.” Felix stood and laced his arms around Nino’s neck. “It works to get closer to you, my dear.”

As if on instinct, Nino’s arms wrapped around Felix’s silk-covered waist. “Well if you really wanted to get closer-” He pulled them tighter together.

Felix leaned his forehead against Nino’s, a smile tugging at his lips. “I refrain from making another innuendo.”

“Good on you.”

Plagg put a paw up from Nino’s desk. “Yes. Good. No more innuendos.”

Felix considered pulling Plagg back inside the ring just to shut him up. But that wouldn’t be very fair, would it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw last chapter's title, which was supposed to be this chapter's, and had a mild freakout. I thought I had posted the wrong chapter. I don't even- *sigh*  
> Anyway. I have summer homework to stare at.
> 
> Requests? Questions? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	23. Sérénade pour mon Amour

“Why are you looking at the sheet music?” Adrien asked. 

Felix’s workings on the violin paused. Why _was_ he looking at the sheet music? He’d practiced this piece a million times over, and for good reason. The sheet music was nothing more than a crutch. “I’m not sure.” He twisted the stand away from him and adjusted his grip on the bow.

“Start over.” Both of the boys ignored Plagg’s groans from Adrien’s trash can. Felix started again.

At this point, Felix could let his mind wander as he played the piece. He imagined where it would be. The one room in-school he could find that would be completely isolated and wasn’t a locker room. He’d already arranged for Adrien to bring Nino there without suspicion. 

He closed his eyes. He imagined Nino sitting in a chair in front of him, just as he would this afternoon. And his rhythm stuttered. He continued on with a tiny crease between his eyebrows. “Relax. Your elbow’s touching your side,” Adrien advised.

Felix said nothing, but held his violin out further. He held out the note. One eye cracked open. If this was the performance, so to speak, he’d be transforming right now. Plagg floated out from the trashcan with a glare, and Felix continued. 

He ended with a flourish of his bow and lowered his violin from his shoulder. Adrien looked up at him with a grin that was only spreading. “Oh, Felix. It’s beautiful. He’ll love it.”

Plagg floated over to them. “Yes. Wonderful. Can we go now?”

Felix narrowed his eyes and pointed his bow at the kwami like a sword. “I swear to god, if you mess this up for me-”

“Take a chill pill, night-time. I’m just as ready for this to be over as you.”

Felix pursed his lips. He sized Plagg up for a moment before lowering his bow. “Sorry. I’m just a little wound-up.” He strode over to his case and started packing away his violin. “I still don’t know how he’ll react.”

Adrien and Plagg shared a glance behind Felix. Adrien put a hand on Felix’s shoulder. “He loves you, Felix. You are Chat, with or without the mask. Hold some confidence.”

The case clicked shut and Felix picked it up by the handle. “Yeah, you’re right.” He smiled at Adrien. “I am Chat. I can do this.”

Felix got his usual coffee order and Adrien handed the barista a list of the others’. Marinette’s over-powered iced with four sugars and three cream made Felix wrinkle his nose. Alya never drank coffee, despite her enthusiasm; her order was replaced with a tea with two sugars. Adrien took it with two sugar and one cream. Felix didn’t miss that Nino’s order included three sugars and one cream. Maybe after today it would be a lot more helpful.

The thought of their relationship after this made Felix’s stomach wring itself into knots.

Adrien carried the four-person tray to the school. Marinette and Nino were already there, and they quickly grabbed their drinks of choice. Nino took a sip and sighed. “You two are actual perfection.”

“Comes with the lineage,” Adrien joked. He took a seat beside Marinette and grabbed his own drink from the tray. Felix took a sip from his own coffee and sat beside Adrien.

Alya came through like a hurricane, grabbing Marinette and dragging her away without a moment’s hesitation. She hardly stopped to grab her tea and give an off-handed thanks to Adrien.

“Okay, one day, I can understand,” Nino started. “Two days in a row? That’s shady.”

Adrien shrugged. “Maybe she figured something out about Ladybug. Marinette’s always the first person she goes to about the Ladyblog.”

Nino and Felix both pursed their lips to avoid making an off-handed remark that would give them away. Nino scooted a little closer to Adrien. “Well, it’s gotta be something important.”

The group of five ate at Marinette’s place for lunch. Adrien and Marinette curled up against each other, ignoring Alya’s calls of “gayyyyyyy.”

“That is the exact opposite of gay,” Nino protested. “Like literally the exact opposite. You couldn’t be more wrong.” He set his plate on his lap for the express purpose of using wild hand gestures. “Like me? I’m gay. Felix is-” He cut off, looking to Felix expectantly.

“Bisexual,” Adrien finished for him with a smile. Felix was too far into a slurp of noodles to answer.

“Bisexual,” Nino echoed. “Adrien and Marinette-”

“Okay,” Alya gasped between bouts of laughter. “Fine. I got it. Chill out.”

The afternoon classes passed in a blur. Felix got called out on drumming his fingers twice, both times by Marinette. He didn’t bother trying to finish his work. It was Friday. In reality, he had all weekend. He prided himself on only glancing at the back of Nino’s head a handful of times.

As soon as the final bell rang, Felix darted off to the room. His blue violin case was already set on the floor, propped against the wall. He took just a moment to take in the room around him. The windows were covered in thick curtains that went from ceiling to floor. The tables were taken out, leaving just the benches and stairways to them. Felix set the violin case on the desk and opened it.

“So how nervous are you?” Plagg teased, floating in front of him.

“Very.” He grabbed the pocket tuner from the case. “Do you know your cue?”

“Yes, Felix. With the amount of times you’ve rehearsed it, a dog would know its cue.”

“Good. If you miss it, I’m replacing your Camembert with Kraft Singles for a week.” He didn’t give Plagg a chance to respond. Not that he would have anyway, excepting the scandalized gasp. Felix tuned his violin in record time and set it down. Deep breath. Turn his ring so that the cat was on the outside. “Plagg, transforme-moi!”

He tugged at his left glove experimentally, relieved when it looked like it would come off. He tugged it back into place for time being. He swirled his tail like Ladybug’s yo-yo as he waited for Adrien and Nino to pass, peeking through the window. He almost wished he’d kept Plagg out, if just for the company. 

It wasn’t long, though, before Adrien came strolling past with Nino at his side. Chat poked his head out of the door with a smile. “Well, fancy seeing you here,” he greeted.

Nino seemed to jump in his skin, gasping at the sight of Chat in the doorway. Once the initial shock passed, he grinned. “Chat? What are you doing here?”

Chat stood in the doorway and returned the grin. Nino stood in front of him, Adrien not far behind. “I realized something. And I decided it couldn’t wait a moment longer.”

“Are you two always this cheesy?” Adrien asked from the side. His nose scrunched up. “God, it sounds like something out of a play.”

“Don’t you have a girlfriend to cuddle up to?” Chat asked, pulling Nino a little closer. 

Adrien sighed. “Fine. I’ll leave you two to whatever. See ya.”

Chat pulled Nino in before Adrien even turned the corner, closing the door behind them. Nino pressed a kiss to his lips. “So what’s this thing you couldn’t wait for?” he asked, lacing his arms around Chat’s neck.

“You’ll have to let go of me so I can show you.”

“Then I guess it _can_ wait.”

“Nino,” Chat whined between kisses, “I actually bargained with Plagg to not detransform me yet. I don’t wanna ruin that.” Not that he would risk his Camembert for that. He could almost hear Plagg grumbling.

Nino pulled away with a sigh. “Okay. Show me.”

With minimal convincing, Chat led Nino to sit on the bench and spun to grab his violin. He stood only about two meters from Nino. The distance felt longer. He pulled off his left glove and picked up his violin. Nino’s eyes darted between his face and the violin, his eyebrows raising. Chat smiled and lifted the violin to his shoulder.

Deep breath in. Exhale slowly. He drew the bow across the strings and closed his eyes.

It was incredible how music could sweep him away with just a few simple notes. It seemed to swirl around him, letting his fingers dance across the fingerboard like they’d been practicing this piece all his life. He’d always taken techniques from other composers, incorporated them into his own. But perhaps, with the stroke of his bow here and there, he could create his own.

The boy in front of him mattered to him, of course, but when he let himself get carried off in the music, nothing seemed to matter. Everything was encapsulated in the notes he elicited. His head followed the violin in low notes and lead it away with high notes. He let his left heel leave and touch the floor. He forced his elbow away from his side.

Ultimately, he missed his own cue. In the midst of drawing the full length of the bow down the A string and shaking at the wrist, he forgot. But Plagg didn’t. So when the full light of his transformation surrounded him, his eyes shot open. 

He heard the soft gasp from Nino and the sharp exhale that left his own lungs. He felt Plagg nestle into his collar. And he kept playing. His rhythm stuttered, but he closed his eyes.

Chat Noir, with or without the mask. Whether the fabric over his shoulders was cotton or latex, he was Chat. So he gathered up the confidence of Chat Noir and let his fingers lead the way. 

With a final resonant note, he finished. No flourish of his bow needed. His eyes slowly opened, fixated on the violin. He lowered his hands and looked to Nino, who sat on the edge of the bench with his eyes widened.

“Felix?” he whispered. Felix held back a flinch. This suddenly felt like a huge mistake. As Nino stood and began to approach him with caution, Felix feared this would be the last amicable conversation he’d have with the boy. 

Nino raised his hand and Felix flinched. Nino’s hand retracted just a bit before proceeding to cup Felix’s cheek. Felix met his eyes with a wary glance. This was it. He would do something to break up and just leave, and never talk to Felix again. The thought nearly brought Felix to shaking, but not for long -- Nino leaned in and pressed his lips to Felix’s.

Felix froze. This wasn’t what he expected. Out of all the scenarios he’d pictured over the past week, Nino just accepting his identity hadn’t been one of them. But here they were, Felix’s grip on the neck of his violin tightening in shock as he leaned in.

After a couple moments, Nino pulled away. He looked Felix in the eyes without saying a word. His fingers combed back and laced in his hair. “Your hair does get shorter,” he mused. 

“Yeah,” Felix agreed. “It just kind of explodes when I transform.”

“I can see that.” He made an attempt to smooth some of Felix’s hair back. It didn’t even try to stay. “So how much hair gel do you use?”

“Quite a bit, in the mornings.” He put his bow alongside his violin in his left hand and tried to smooth his hair down. “This is one of the reasons I hate transforming during the day.”

Nino stifled his laughter. He combed his fingers through Felix’s hair, still attempting in vain to smooth it down. “Felix Agreste is Chat Noir. Who would’ve guessed?” Well, he did. But that was beside the point. His expression dropped. “Wait. That means Adrien-” He cut himself short. “I’m gonna kick his ass,” he whispered.

Felix watched Nino ~~pretend to~~ piece the identities together with a laugh rising in his throat. Plagg rested on his shoulder, watching the scene with feigned boredom. 

It took a few more minutes to pack away his violin and coax Nino out into the hallway, where Felix led him along without touching him. Plagg nestled himself into Felix’s bag. Nino ranted along and pretended to make the connection between Ladybug and Marinette once they hit the courtyard. “What’s next? Alya is secretly Papillon?”

Felix was still laughing when they came up to Adrien and Marinette. 

“Something tells me it went well,” Adrien greeted. Felix nodded, calming his laughter.

Marinette grinned. It seemed a little bit plastered on. “That’s great! Because Alya will not shut up and we need to figure out Chat’s story.”

Felix tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, she keeps talking about the interview she’ll eventually get with Chat. She has two priorities. First, find out about his love life. Second, do you remember that stupid poll? Because she intends to get Chat’s opinion on that.” Marinette paused. “I’m a little surprised she hasn’t said anything about asking Ladybug and Chat to at least stage a fight.”

Nino averted his eyes. “I should probably go.” When the other three looked up at him in confusion, he continued. “You guys have, like, superhero stuff to talk about.”

Marinette shook her head. “Nah. You’re kinda drawn into this now, anyway. Your opinion deserves to be heard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're here!  
> I also lowkey forgot today was Friday. But I've been writing all day, so on the bright side!
> 
> Requests? Questions? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	24. Behind Closed Doors

“We should talk about this somewhere more private,” Felix had said. “I’d rather us not be overheard.”

And now they all piled into Felix’s room. Nino’s eyes shot to the poster and his lips twisted into a smile. He let Felix intertwine their fingers and lead him to sit on the edge of the bed. Adrien pulled Felix’s desk chair over and Marinette sat on the floor in front of him. As if by instinct, Adrien started unraveling Marinette’s hairties and fiddling with styles.

“So, what should we discuss first?” Felix started.

Marinette tilted her head back in response to Adrien tugging at one hair tie. “Who’s Chat dating?”

Felix blinked twice. “Well. Daytime Chat is the one that gets all the questions and interviews. And he’s dating Ladybug. Plus, everyone gets to be with their partner openly. It’s a win-win situation.” He tightened his fingers around Nino’s, leaning a little closer into him.

“You’re forgetting one thing,” Adrien said with an elastic between his mouth. 

“And what’s that?”

Adrien took the elastic from his mouth and tied the top layer of Marinette’s hair atop her head. “You’re only out to us three and Alya. There’s no openly about it for you.”

Felix glanced over at Nino. He knew he was listening, but Nino’s eyes were focused on Adrien’s fingers combing through Marinette’s hair. “Something that can be easily remedied. It’s not as if I care for the class’ approval.” He looked up at Adrien. Adrien didn’t meet his eyes, instead picking up on a couple strands. “And besides, there’s already a same-sex couple in our class, isn’t there?”

“Juleka and Rose?” Nino said. “Yeah, they’re together.”

Adrien shook his head, looking up at Felix. His fingers continued to work through a braid. “I’m not talking about the class, Felix.” He only got a blank stare. He sighed and looked down at Marinette’s hair. “This looks stupid,” he mumbled, starting to comb the hair out. He returned the conversation to Felix. “Aren’t you forgetting someone very important in your life that you have yet to come out to?”

Felix ran through a list of people he’d interacted with in the past month and not wanted to move away from immediately. Nathalie? No, Adrien wouldn’t bring her up. “I don’t think so.” He phrased it more as a question.

At this point, Adrien was halfway through a waterfall braid. He let his fingers fly as he glowered at Felix. “Really? There’s nobody? Nobody at all?” He got nothing but a tilt of Felix’s head. He sighed and turned to Nino. “What about you? You’re out to your parents, right?”

Oh. _Oh._ Nino nodded. “I came out about a year ago.”

Adrien turned back to Felix, who was in the middle of a staring contest with the floor. Of course. His father. He hadn’t actually had a conversation with him in over a month? That sounded almost fake. But no. Felix tried to remember the last conversation he’d had with his father. It had probably been something in passing, right? His father was pretty busy this time of year, after all. 

“Easily remedied,” Felix echoed, though quieter.

“Is it?”

“Yes. I’ll schedule an appointment with him at soonest convenience.” Felix folded his left leg over his right. Soonest convenience was...tentative.

Nino and Marinette both made expressions of mild disgust. “That’s so stupid,” Marinette interjected. “I can’t believe you have to make an appointment just to speak with your dad.”

Adrien swept all of the still-hanging hair Marinette had into his hands. “If he really thought it was easily remedied, he’d just go down to his office now. He’s home,” he added to Felix.

In place of an answer, he watched Adrien tie Marinette’s hair into a ponytail. The effect was a crown-like braid sweeping across the top of her head and ending at her ear. Felix considered his options. He could go down now. He could wait until Marinette and Nino had left. Or he could do as he said he would and schedule an appointment via Nathalie.

“I’d rather not just storm in and announce my sexuality,” Felix defended. “I’m sure he wouldn’t take kindly to anybody coming into his office unannounced, regardless of relation or matters to discuss.”

Nino pursed his lips. “It’s still kinda stupid that you have to make an appointment with your dad.”

The boys watched Adrien untie Marinette’s hair and fidget with the loose strands. The crown stayed intact, but he couldn’t seem to get the rest to his liking.

Felix let out a huff of air. “Regardless, I should be able to see him before Alya gets an interview with Chat. So it’s really not a worry.”

Adrien continued to work with Marinette’s hair, getting increasingly frustrated. Marinette sighed and held her hand up. “I’m sure it looks wonderful, _chaton._ ” She lowered her hands as Adrien released his grip on her hair. “What are we going to do if Alya wants to stage a fight?”

“Stage a fight,” Adrien said with a shrug. 

“Who’s gonna win?” Nino muttered.

Nobody answered for a while. Nino shuffled closer to Felix. Adrien obviously considered redoing Marinette’s hair multiple times. 

Marinette and Nino left shortly after. “Are you coming by tonight?” Nino asked in the doorway.

“If you want me to,” Felix responded with a smile.

The doors shut and a pit settled into Felix’s stomach. How many stories had he heard about kids his age coming out to their parents and not being well-received? Too many, that was for sure. Enough that fear curled within Felix as he knocked on the door of the office.

It wasn’t his father’s workspace, so he had nothing to fear, really. He was just going in to talk to Nathalie. Schedule an appointment. To talk to his father.

This felt stupid.

“Come in,” Nathalie said from the other side of the door. Adrien watched Felix step in from the bottom of the stairs. Nathalie looked up from her desk, which was mostly covered in papers. “Good afternoon, Felix.”

“Good afternoon, Nathalie.” He glanced down at the desk. “I’m sorry to interrupt. Are you busy?”

“I’m always busy.” She paused and looked up at Felix, lips pursed into a thin line. “What do you need?”

Felix hesitated. He could just say he wanted to say hello and leave. While unexpected and unlike him, it would mean he wouldn’t have to face his father. And somehow, he preferred that. The pit of fear balling in his stomach grew heavier. In place of butterflies were bumblebees. But he had to do this sooner or later. “I’d like to make an appointment with my father,” he said.

Nathalie’s eyebrows raised just a little, but she managed to compose herself from that incredible breakdown and nodded. Felix wondered if she actually had a soul. Those eyes seemed soulless. She slid her tablet in front of her. “He has tomorrow at three, is that alright?”

He wanted to say no, that it was too soon, that hey, isn’t tomorrow a Saturday? Saturday should be the day of rest, right? Wait, no. That was Sunday. Well, in any case, the sooner the better. “Yes, that’s okay.” Time to turn tail and run.

“I’ll put it into his schedule.”

“Thank you, Nathalie.” With that, Felix walked out of the office and closed the door behind him. 

Adrien stood up from the bottom stair. His grip tightened on the railing and he looked at Felix with a soft gaze. “So?”

“Tomorrow at three,” Felix responded. He passed Adrien and heard his footsteps follow. “It shouldn’t take long. I’ll just go in, say I’m bisexual, and leave.” He nearly tripped on the last step. “And hope I’m not disowned,” he added under his breath.

“He’s not going to disown you,” Adrien sighed.

Felix couldn’t bring himself to look Adrien in the eye. So he settled for silence. He made a passing excuse of working on homework and settled in his bedroom, alone. 

Except for Plagg, of course, who started muttering as soon as the door closed. “I don’t understand it, I really don’t. Why should it matter what gender likes which? Fu, this is all so stupid.” But despite his mutterings, he settled in close to Felix and kept quieter than usual. And after a few minutes, he went silent.

Felix did end up working on some homework, set to music from Nino’s mixtape. Yet, what would usually take him an hour started to drag on for much longer. The swelling orchestrations did nothing to calm his nerves, and for once Plagg was a calming presence.

Who would have known that it would take a mental ticking time bomb for Felix to grow fond of his kwami?

Felix transformed at sunset and set out. He hoped for a straight shot to Nino’s, but not all things work out as planned.

He planned to ignore the barking at first. He was a cat darting across the rooftops of Paris, after all. It would be surprising for dogs not to bark. In fact, it sounded like a beagle. They tended to howl like that. But then he heard its owner.

“Solace, no,” a girl scolded lightly. She had no power to it. Solace kept howling at the rooftops.

Chat took a moment of consideration before finding the nearest thing to slide down to the street and using it. Solace continued to bark, pulling at the leash. The girl just managed to keep herself from being pulled along. “I’m so sorry about this,” she said. “She’s not usually like this.”

“It’s fine,” Chat said, stepping closer. “I get the cat costume might throw a dog off.” He looked closer at the girl. He recognized her as Sabrina. Chloe’s friend. Ah, so that’s why Adrien didn’t want to tell Felix how he’d met Solace’s new owner. But Sabrina was nice when she wasn’t acting as Chloe’s lackey.

He got close enough to Solace to pet her. She still kept on howling. Chat offered a hand for Solace to sniff. She sniffed at it tentatively at first. Then her tail started wagging and she started trying to get closer to Chat. 

Now, Chat had expected for Solace to sniff at him and be unimpressed. Possibly bark at him. He’d changed over the years and his costume likely covered up some smell. What he didn’t expect, however, was Solace pulling Sabrina along as she jumped on him in excitement.

A grin spread across his face as he scratched behind her ear. “Solace, you said her name was?”

“Yeah,” Sabrina replied, regaining her balance. “Like I said, she doesn’t usually act like this.”

“She’s just excited,” Chat excused. His rubbing behind her ear and petting her at the same time still worked to calm her down. Good to know. 

It was also good to know that dogs could smell Felix and Adrien from behind the mask, but he’d think about that later. For now, he could see Solace again.

She looked older. Gray streaks flowed through her hair and her skin sagged a little. But she was still the same dog Felix loved. And she still recognized Felix. 

He felt like he’d changed so much within the past couple of years. Between his mother’s leaving and all this Chat Noir stuff, he’d closed himself away to the world. He wasn’t who he used to be and in his eyes, that was okay. But he had to admit, he missed the kid he used to be. Ambitious and right alongside his twin, always ready to protect each other.

And yes, he’d still protect Adrien in a heartbeat. But he wasn’t with him all the time. He wasn’t with anybody all the time, now. He didn’t want to be around anybody. He wasn’t who he remembered from childhood photographs, and part of him felt like that was a bad thing. Like he’d changed too much and too rapidly and all in the wrong direction.

But Solace remembered him and loved him all the same. And if his loving dog could love him after he’d changed so much, he supposed change wasn’t a bad thing at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I have to go write but um. I started working through this project of mine. There's some information about it on my blog ( pixelliest.tumblr.com/universes ). And if you wanted to check it out and ask questions and stuff I would not object <3 But other than that. Plot! Things! We passed 40k with this chapter! 
> 
> Things are wrapping themselves up in this fic. I just have one major plot point left. Which is strange. But really, really cool. I wanna thank you guys again for all the support and recommendations and stuff. You guys are the reason this fic actually exists. <3
> 
> Requests? Questions? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	25. Strict Schedule

Felix considered all the ways he could be spending his Saturday morning. For example, he could be practicing violin. He could be sipping coffee at the cafe down the street. He could be with Adrien and Marinette, letting Marinette use him as drawing reference. He could be _at the ballet studio where he was damn well supposed to be instead of running for it in an oversized coat fifteen minutes late._

His coat flapped a little behind him in his speed. He pulled it tighter with one hand and wondered why he hadn’t just transformed. He could have made it in half the time, and wouldn’t have to worry about darting down the streets of Paris in spandex.

Wait, no. He would still be doing it. He just wouldn’t have to worry about it.

In between midnight makeouts with Nino and stressing over his three o’clock appointment with his father, he’d forgotten about ballet. One of two things he’d had at the same time, on the same day, at the same place, for ten years.

He pushed through the glass door and took in the air of the studio. “You’re late,” the receptionist said without looking up.

“I know,” Felix panted. “I overslept.”

The receptionist did glance up from her magazine this time, if only for a second. She didn’t seem to believe him. Good for her. He didn’t oversleep. No, he just spent an hour pacing across his bedroom floor. She looked back down at her magazine. “You’re sharing the studio today.”

A crease formed between Felix’s eyebrows. “With who?”

She didn’t respond. Felix adjusted his grip on the backs of his pointe shoes and sighed. He moved past her and turned into the locker rooms. Another thing he’d forgotten: a god damn lock. He prayed nobody would come in and decide to steal his things before shoving his coat into a locker. He laced his shoes up with an absent mind. He fished his phone and earbuds out of his coat pocket and headed out into the studio. 

The person he was sharing with was already there. Felix recognized him, of course. Not that he knew his name. But he recognized him. The boy even said hello to Felix. Felix gave a curt nod in return and headed to the opposite side of the studio.

Felix sat on the floor and started to do his stretches. He wouldn’t think about what he had to do later that day. He would just go through the motions as usual. That’s all he could do, right? He took a deep breath and moved into his next stretch. 

He skipped through songs as he stretched. It seemed like less of a hassle than going into his music library. He let the instrumentals of indistinct trailer music carry him through his stretches. He stood and, gripping the bar, rolled onto his toes. He let go of the bar and started to move away, still on his toes. 

The song had halfway finished at this point. He rolled back onto his heels and jumped right in with the choreography. His heartbeat quickened with the tempo as he moved. The music came to a halt and Felix paused, arms in an arc above his head and one leg poised. It came rushing back with a certain ferocity, pushing Felix onwards.

He ended in a handstand, his legs poised in front of each other above him. As the music moved on to the next song, he sighed. He let himself fall onto his side on the studio floor. The other boy glanced over before pressing on through his own routine.

Felix had about 45 minutes left before he had to go back home. He’d have one hour for lunch and two hours after that before his appointment. Two hours to work himself into a nervous ball of energy. So why was he doing it now?

He pushed himself to his feet and pressed the back button. No sense in fretting over it at the present.

On his way back, he let himself start to fret. He muttered to himself, music blasting in his ears. “So. I've wanted to tell you this for a while. And I'd like to say beforehand that-that-” He let out a sigh. Tears prickled at his eyes. He couldn’t do this. He had to figure out how to look fine. “That I'm the same kid I've always been.” He wiped at his eyes. “This is so stupid.”

Adrien was already sitting at the dining table when Felix came in. Felix didn’t bother changing or hanging his coat up. He sat in his chair and stared down at the mahogany. Adrien slid a biscuit in front of him. “Nervous or not, you need to eat.”

Felix begrudgingly took a bite of the biscuit. “I’m not nervous,” he muttered. He heard Plagg snort in laughter from Adrien’s jacket.

As soon as he was finished eating the biscuit, Felix excused himself. Adrien chased his heels and followed him to Felix’s bedroom. Felix let him. He wasn’t going to leave regardless. He sat on the edge of his bed and considered going for a run. 

No. It would just work him up more. If ballet did nothing, Chat Noir would do even less. He sighed and started to get changed. “So how was your morning?”

Adrien blinked at him from Felix’s desk chair. He shrugged. “I just hung around waiting for you to get back. How was ballet?”

“Fine.” He shrugged on a button-up.

Plagg sat on Adrien’s shoulder and crossed his arms. “I can sense how nervous you are from here, kid.”

“I’m fine, really.” He buttoned his collar, offering a little smile. “Whatever he says, it can’t change who I am. And it’ll come up eventually, I’m sure.”

“Felix-”

“I have to do it eventually, right? Better to do it sooner rather than later.” He finished rolling up his sleeves.

Whatever Adrien was about to say, a knock at the door cut him off. Both boys watched the door open and Nathalie come in. She appeared rushed, her hair ever so slightly out of array. She adjusted her grip on her tablet and looked to Felix. “Something has come up. Would you be able to see your father now?”

Every cell in Felix’s body stilled for a moment. His breathing hitched slightly. Just a moment ago, he’d been talking about sooner rather than later. But here he was, internally begging for any time he could get. He nodded. “I’ll be down in just a moment,” he said.

Nathalie left. Adrien came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Felix. You got this, okay?” 

Felix felt Plagg nestle into his collar. He realized he was shaking a little. His mouth was dry. He took a breath to steady himself. “Yes. I can do this. What difference does a couple hours make?”

A lot. He had the two hours for preparation, and now he had nothing. Not even something to say. He supposed he could wing it. But winging it wasn’t exactly his specialty. He dimly felt Plagg trying to comfort him and registered Adrien gripping his shoulder. He took another breath. “I can do this.”

Adrien on his heels, Felix made his way to his father’s office. He felt sick to his stomach. If he had more than the biscuit in his stomach, he might worry about being sick. Plagg didn’t need to breathe, but Felix could swear he felt the kwami’s chest rise and fall against his collarbone. He matched his breath to the feeling.

When he came to the office doors, he could hear his father talking on the phone. "Well, the research I've done says something entirely different,” Gabriel’s muffled voice said. Felix, with shaking hands, knocked on the door. “I’ll call you back,” he heard. 

Adrien shifted to the side of the door. The tall office door opened. Gabriel stood with a fabric measuring tape around his neck and phone in hand. He looked down at Felix with a bit of shock. It seemed everyone in this house was anxious and rushed. He beckoned Felix in with one hand and closed the door.

Gabriel’s office was messier than Felix remembered. A row of dressforms had fabric draped over them. A table adjacent to them was covered in various swatches and threads. Felix briefly wondered why so much of it was blue and violet.

His father sat in his office chair. His desk was covered in papers except for a small section which he had swept aside. Felix sat in the chair across from him. The back of the chair was hard, as if to keep anybody from overstaying their welcome. It did nothing to soothe his nerves.

Gabriel folded his hands on the desk in front of him. “I’m sorry to reschedule and whatnot. It’s a busy time of year.”

Felix nodded. “I understand.”

“What did you want to talk to me about, Felix?”

"I have something I wanted to tell you." He folded his hands under the desk. Plagg nestled into his collarbone, a comforting weight amidst the chaos swirling inside him. "I don't want you to think less of me because of it. I'm the same kid I've always been. I just don't want it to be a secret anymore." His eyes fixated on the singular piece of dust on Gabriel's desk. "I'm bisexual."

A silence passed for so long that Felix began to regret his decision. He didn’t dare look up and see his father’s expression. He was definitely going to be sick. Panic welled inside him and threatened to spill over. His hands had a death grip on each other. Felix could hear the clock on the wall ticking. He matched each breath to his kwami’s.

“Okay.”

Felix’s eyes snapped up at the simple word. His father sat with an entirely neutral expression. But he cracked a smile, if a small one. “I work in the fashion industry. You can’t possibly think that the concept of bisexuality is a new one.”

How Felix could have overlooked that was something he would never understand. But that reminder was overshadowed by sheer relief that his father wasn’t going to disown him or something. 

Gabriel stood from his desk. “As long as it doesn’t interfere with your studies, whatever you are is perfectly fine.” He came around the desk to smile down fondly at Felix. “You’re my son. And I love you no matter what.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started school again and because of certain circumstances, I'm already behind and working extremely hard. As a result, Monday's update might be in the evening or something. Just late af.
> 
> I'm really sorry about not responding to comments. I read every single one and I'm actually about to reply to the ones on last chapter, it's just. It's been a long week. Sorry.
> 
> Questions? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	26. Dual

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to thank Lockwyn and Whettle for pointing out a stupid thing I did.

Alya bounced in place as Felix fished the key out of his pocket. “This is so cool. I get to interview Chat Noir.” She gripped Marinette’s arm so hard Felix figured it would bruise. “This is so cool,” she repeated in a squeal.

Felix opened the door with a roll of his eyes. He waved everyone in. While Alya was still wrapped up in squealing, the others looked around. Nino had a bit of nostalgia in his gaze. He looked around with a fond smile before his eyes settled on Felix. 

However, Marinette didn’t appear so happy with the room. “Shouldn’t we dust or something?” She swiped a finger across the desk and scowled at the dust she’d collected. 

Well, Adrien did have an allergy to feathers. Felix supposed he would have a sensitivity to dust, as well. Alya sighed, leaning on Marinette. “It’s too bad Adrien couldn’t be here.”

Marinette shrugged. “Apparently he couldn’t miss this photo shoot.” She shrugged Alya off in favor of seeking out a duster or rag or really anything. 

Nino came to stand beside Felix with a smirk. “I’m pretty sure he’s more a Ladybug guy anyway.” He watched Marinette check that Alya wasn’t looking at her before glaring Nino down. Nino grinned in response, evoking a small smile from Felix.

It took Marinette about five minutes to excuse herself and find a duster elsewhere. She set to work as Alya worked around her, muttering about exact questions. 

As Marinette worked around Felix and Nino, who had taken to going over homework, Felix felt his nose start to itch. He scrunched it a couple times before giving in to a tiny sneeze. Nino turned to stare at him. “Was...that a sneeze?”

Felix’s lips pursed into a tight line. “Perhaps.” 

He heard Nino’s giggles and his whisper of, “I knew you were a kitten but the fact that you sneeze like one-”

Chat Noir swung in through an open window and flipped before standing on his feet. Felix and Nino muttered that he was a showoff in unison. If Alya heard them, she said nothing. Marinette paused her dusting to watch Alya greet Chat.

“I’m so glad you agreed to this,” Alya gushed. 

“It’s no problem,” Chat responded. “I am on a tight schedule, though.”

“Of course. I’ll try to just breeze through these questions.” As Alya spoke, Felix drifted behind her. He crossed his legs and waited for her to pull up her camera. “Alright. It’s great to have you on the Ladyblog, Chat Noir. First question, just to start off, humor me. Give me your go-to joke.”

Chat laughed. “Well, in my opinion, all my jokes are absolutely _purr_ fect.” He ignored the three behind Alya all holding back groans.

“Fair enough,” Alya responded, holding back a groan of her own. “When you’re not a superhero, are you able to live a normal life?”

For the first time of many, Chat glanced over Alya’s shoulder to Felix. His brother nodded. Completely, totally normal life. “Well, yeah. The hidden identity thing helps, I’m sure. But I’m just a normal guy outside of costume.”

“And how, if at all, has being Chat Noir affected that?”

“I think I’m more confident. Having a fanclub is a pretty big ego boost.” Chat gave a nervous smile. Felix rolled his eyes. As if Adrien (and him, subsequently) didn’t have a fanclub outside of costume. But yes, being Chat Noir did give them both a certain confidence boost. So it wasn’t a lie.

Alya nodded. “That’s reasonable. So, Chat, how do you stay cool in the face of danger?”

Marinette was the one to roll her eyes this time. Felix pointed to each person in the room in quick succession. Chat smiled at Alya. “The way I see it, if I can save others, it doesn’t matter what happens to me. After all, Ladybug’s the one who we really need. She cleanses the akumas.” He ignored Marinette giving him a cold glare. If he wanted to play that game-

“Speaking of Ladybug,” Alya said with a grin, “You might have noticed a certain poll on the Ladyblog as of late. Over whether you or her would win in a fight.”

Chat nodded. “I think it’ll be a cold day in Hell when I try and harm Ladybug, but yes, I do.”

“What do you think the outcome would be?”

“In a fair fight? I don’t think I stand a chance against Ladybug.”

“Would you be willing to try?”

Chat’s head tilted in confusion. “How do you mean?” He kept the smile on his face. Marinette and Felix shared a glance, shifting their weight.

“Would you and Ladybug be willing to spar and settle the debate?” Alya grinned at Chat over the camera. “The question’s been around since you two appeared.”

Felix pursed his lips. This could turn out badly. But Adrien would never actually hurt Marinette, and vice versa. Both of them nodded in unison. Nino’s gaze flickered between the interview and Felix and Mari’s game of charades.

Chat nodded. “I don’t see why not. Maybe we can discuss arrangements later.”

“Awesome!” Alya gushed. Chat smiled back. Alya’s grin turned a little mischievous. “Now, the Ladyblog has to know. You and Ladybug have been acting pretty cozy with each other lately. All of Paris has been talking, and we have to ask: what’s going on between you two?”

“Ladybug and I are dating,” Chat Noir affirmed with a beaming smile. Marinette smiled over Alya’s shoulder at him. Felix and Nino looked at each other with a smile, their fingers intertwining. It seemed like everything was all wrapped up-

“So why were you on someone else’s balcony a matter of weeks ago?”

Shit. Everyone in the room, excepting Alya, froze in their spots. They had everything all settled out except for the past. Nino tore his hand from Felix’s as Chat’s eyes darted between them. God damn it. Nino looked like he was two seconds away from tearing Alya’s throat out. Felix looked between Nino and his brother. Adrien’s eyes had gone to him for a response, what to do, anything.

They were fucked. If Chat backtracked on anything, he would seem unreliable and a liar. And after the Volpina fiasco, god only knew what kind of hellfire that would bring. If he said he chose Ladybug over this mystery boy, he would seem untrustworthy. There was only one thing to do. With a sigh, Felix held up two fingers.

Adrien caught on immediately. He sighed and looked straight into Alya’s eyes. “The truth is, there are two Chat Noirs. Two people piloting the same costume, y’know? And it can get a little mixed up at times. The other Chat likes his privacy, so we decided I would be the one to handle interviews and attacks and stuff. I’m dating Ladybug. He’s dating someone else, who also wants to stay out of the spotlight.” He finished with a smile and a tiny shrug. 

Alya had to take a couple seconds and readjust. As if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Adrien looked between her and the other three. Felix’s hand had dropped to his side, but he hadn’t taken Nino’s again. “Any more questions?” he asked Alya.

“N-no,” Alya squeaked. She pressed the stop button on her phone. “There’s two of you?” 

Chat nodded, his ears flopping with his hair. “Yup. The other one likes to stick to the shadows. Kind of a recluse.” 

Nino snorted, looking away from Felix. Felix resisted the urge to push him as Alya wheeled around. “You knew about that, didn’t you?” she asked, jumping toward him.

"He asked me to keep it a secret," Nino said, shrugging Alya off. "And I'm true to my word. A secret is a secret."

Alya pouted. "So do you know his identity?"

If Nino was anxious, he didn't let it show. Chat gave a tiny salute to the others and leaped out the window again. Felix gave a nod to Chat and went back to watching Nino intently. He didn't glance at either Adrien or Felix, his eyes intent on Alya. "Nope." He popped the p. "And that's fine. He'll trust me with it when he's ready."

Felix's eyes narrowed. He seemed awfully confident in his lie. Abnormally confident. The thought occurred that Nino could have figured him out beforehand. It would explain quite a bit. Mostly the innuendos Nino started using around Felix so abruptly. How easily he talked to Adrien about his relationship. The-

The waistband. Oh, he had known. Any semblance of amusement dropped from Felix's face as he glared at Nino. Nino hadn't seen him yet, still trying to shrug Alya off. He grinned as he pushed her away again. Alya continued to tease him. "So what do you do for dates?"

Nino rolled his eyes. "Get off me, Césaire." 

Alya groaned, but sat back in one of the benches. Marinette was quick to grab her attention. Nino smiled between them. It took him a couple seconds to notice Felix at the third desk. He wiped the smile from his face. Felix quirked an eyebrow at him before rising from his desk. He stepped out, expecting Nino to follow.

He wasn't disappointed. Nino followed a few seconds after on his heels. Felix didn't look back as he walked to the bathroom with hands in pockets.

He heard Nino lean against the pull side of the doors. "Care telling me why you're angry?" he asked.

Felix looked over his shoulder. Nino stood just inside the door, fidgeting with his headphones.

"You knew," Felix said, turning on his heel, "didn't you?"

Nino tried not to let the shock and worry show on his face. "About what?"

"Who I was. You figured it out before Friday, didn't you?"

Felix watched Nino go through a couple expressions. He watched his breath hitch as the hands on his headphones stilled. He watched him look to the side. He didn't need confirmation at this point. It showed in his hesitation, his reluctance. Felix sighed. "Of course you did."

Nino curled in a little. "I didn't want you to be revealed before you were ready. It was an accident. I promise."

“It’s just that you didn’t tell me,” Felix defended. “How long did you know?”

Nino pursed his lips in thought. “Maybe...a week? Ish?”

“How did you find out?”

Nino was still fidgeting with his headphones. He still didn’t meet Felix’s eyes. “The blindfold got all messed up in our sleep.”

Felix’s breath hitched. He should have known that was a bad idea. Note to self: catnip makes him sleepy and very susceptible to an identity reveal. He heard Nino say he was sorry in the quietest voice he’d ever heard from the kid. He turned his shoulders away, eyes focusing on the bathroom tile. “I’m not mad, Nino.” He didn’t hear Nino say anything, but their eyes locked when he looked to him. “I’m just...disappointed.” Silence forced his words out. “You knew how much my identity meant to me, and you didn’t even tell me when you found out.

“I mean, who else could know? If you found out and didn’t tell me, who’s to say someone else knows who I am and decided to keep it a secret?” Felix’s hands had balled into fists. He released them. “I just wish you’d have told me instead of holding it. I wouldn’t have been angry. You know that.”

Nino nodded, his eyes still focused on Felix’s with worry embedded into them. “I do. I did. But Felix. Don’t you remember when you tried to reveal yourself and you were shaking and crying? I couldn’t do that to you, and I knew it.”

“You couldn’t have told me after I revealed myself?”

“You wrote me a song,” Nino objected. “Everything was all perfectly choreographed and everything, and I know how hard it can be to get Plagg to do anything at all, and you were so nervous and I knew you wanted to make it perfect.” He’d stepped closer, bridging only half the gap. “I was going to tell you eventually. I just wanted you to have your reveal.”

Felix’s lower lip quivered. He looked away, biting it back. “I understand that. I just-” He sighed. “I know it wasn’t easy with the whole identity thing and me being who I am. I understand you not telling me immediately. I just wish you’d have told me sooner.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Felix crossed the rest of the gap to wrap his arms around Nino’s shoulders. “I’m glad you care. Just tell me about this sort of stuff from here on out, okay? And I’ll do the same for you.”

“No more secrets,” Nino agreed, wrapping his arms around Felix. 

“No more secrets.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all. I have it planned out and there's only a couple more chapters left. However! We have two options.   
> With what happens next. It could either be two pretty short chapters (one being pretty uneventful) or one very long chapter (with many things happening). And I'm not sure which to go with. So I figured I'd ask you guys! Which would you rather see?
> 
> Requests? Questions? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	27. The Highlight: Part I

Nino nuzzled into Felix's collarbone as the bell chimed around them. Light poured from the windows into Felix's eyes, making him cast his gaze to Nino's snapback. Felix grasped Nino's intertwined fingers and pushed out of the corner with the other hand. His hand stayed pressed against the cold metal of the lockers for only a brief second. “Nino, we need to get to class,” he intoned, taking Nino's hat with a smile teasing at his lips.

“Nope,” Nino argued wearily. “Let's stay. Just stay in here.” He adjusted to make a weak grab for his hat. “I don't wanna hear Alya ask about our love life again.” He tipped his head up and pecked Felix on the lips, hand uncurling from his to wrap behind his neck.

“We have to.” Felix held the hat just out of reach. He didn't make a motion to pull away, though. His newly freed hand pressed into the small of Nino's back. “And at least you can speak up about it. I swear, if I have to hear her ask how big my penis is one more time-”

“I'll try and get her to stop.” Nino moved his hand from Felix's neck to wrap around his shoulders instead.

Felix scoffed, a blush rising to his face. “Good luck.”

“She wants to meet you, by the way.” Nino made another lazy grab for the hat as he pressed his lips to Felix's cheek.

“She already has.” Felix's hesitance allowed Nino to grab the hat back and fit it on his head. He contemplated the best strategy for stealing it back.

Nino shook his head. “She met Chat Noir and Chat Jour. Not Chat Nuit.” Ah, so that's what they were calling them now. It fit just as well. Chat Nuit, the one who only showed himself at night and kept to the shadows. Though he'd miss just being Chat Noir. This whole two Chats thing was messing even him up.

“That's the most asinine-”

“Felix.” Nino took on a scolding tone that made Felix's nose scrunch up.

“Adrien said it himself. I don't like the spotlight. I know she'll want an interview, and I would prefer not to give one.”

Nino's shoulders dropped. “Everyone's going to want an interview with you now. You know that. You're the shiny new thing _and_ the savior of Paris.”

“I do know that. Doesn't mean I like it.”

“It'll be okay, Felix. It'll die out eventually.”

Felix made a noise of reluctant agreement. “We should get to class before we're late.” He took Nino's arm and unraveled it from his shoulders. “Should I visit tonight?”

Nino stepped away from him and held the door open. “I have a dinner with my family tonight, and then we're going to see a movie. I might come back and crash after.”

Felix stepped through the door. The hallway was mostly vacant by now, save for a few stragglers. “So I'll take that as a no?” he murmured under his breath.

“Probably not. But you can text me.” Nino lowered his voice as well

“Not nearly as fun as pinning you against the wall.”

“Don't be like that.” Despite his words, Nino blushed. “People are around. God knows Alya has ears everywhere.”

Felix let out a low laugh. “Fair enough. I'll text you, then.”

Nino let his stride falter so Felix could walk in a bit before him. Felix was already taking his seat when Nino strode in through the door. Alya immediately started bombarding him with questions he had learned to ignore. 

“I bet he's super cool, is he cool? He's got all this mystery around him.”

When Nino finally looked back at her, Felix looked fit to bash his head straight through the desk. Maybe he could bring him some coffee tomorrow as penance or something. He met Alya's eye. “Dude. He's just another guy. Who wants to stay out of the spotlight. With not this many questions about him. That was the entire purpose of the two Chats thing. So he didn't have to have all this mystery surrounding him.”

Adrien looked between the others and shrugged. “And if something happened to one, the other can show up. No close calls.” He reached up to grab Marinette's hand.

Alya whipped her phone from her pocket with a grin. “Speaking of. Ladyblog viewers and forum users are already trying to figure out the differences between Chat Jour and Chat Nuit.” If she noticed everyone in the group roll their eyes, she ignored it. “And turns out, the only battle we know Nuit's fought in is the one with Grade A.” She turned a glare to Nino. “The one you stopped filming.”

Nino flashed a smile. “Yeah, I didn't want to get hit by papers.”

“Yeah. That's the only reason.” She sounded extremely unimpressed. Felix pursed his lips as he watched the conversation.

As if looking for help, Nino's gaze flickered to Felix. He shrugged. “Believe me if you want. But I stopped filming purely for safety reasons.” Even if he had to be reminded.

Alya rolled her eyes. “Right. Whatever. But pray tell, why did Chat Nuit fight then? Why not Chat Jour as usual?”

Felix pursed his lips. He held a finger up and pushed it away from him. Nino watched him in the corner of his eye, pretending to try and remember. “Ah, Chat Jour was out of town that morning for personal reasons. So Chat Nuit heard the call and decided to take care of it.”

“The call?” Alya repeated.

Before the conversation could continue, Marinette let out a loud sigh. “Where's Miss Bustier?” she wondered aloud.

Usually, she was already at her desk and ready half an hour before class. But with one minute left to class and no teacher? Adrien and Felix exchanged an anxious glance. Ms. Mendeleiev was one akuma. They didn't need another. As Nino distracted Alya with talk about his newest mixtape, Marinette started planning her escape route. Adrien and Felix tried to silently communicate over which of them would take care of it.

They didn't need to fret for long. Madame Bustier rushed in, papers in hand. She had a trembling frame and wide eyes. All eyes in the group of five as well as some of the others' snapped to her. Even Chloe paused her ranting to Sabrina to keep an eye on Madame Bustier. 

Marinette was the first to speak up. “Madame? Are you okay?”

The teacher looked up at her and gave a nervous smile. “Thank you, Marinette, but I'm okay. Just a bit of a mishap.” When nobody responded, she went on. “I got into a little accident and had things to sort out. Nobody got hurt.”

Everyone was watching Madame Bustier by now. The bell rang. She shook her head. “But enough about that. We should get on with the lesson.”

Five minutes into said lesson, however, someone called her out into the hall. Within five minutes of her absence, Alya had slid up to the board and started conducting her own lesson. She walked across the front of the room with her phone in hand, discussing theories.

“So we know that Chat Nuit fought Grade A. But who has he fought in the past?” She looked to the second row. “Yes, Mylene?”

“Well. If you look at photos of Chat Jour and Nuit side by side, Nuit has a bigger bell on his neck. And he has that little belt buckle thing.” Mylene smiled down at Alya. Felix considered how to bargain with Plagg to get rid of the belt buckle and get a baton. 

Max spoke up without raising his hand. Alya did not correct him. “Overall, Chat Nuit seems to have a sharper feel to his costume.”

Sabrina started bouncing in her seat, leaning forward to speak. “Wait, if you guys are going by the belt buckle, that means it was Chat Nuit that talked to me when I was walking Solace!”

Oh shit. Felix's gaze, which had been flipping between the speakers, snapped to Adrien. Adrien turned a full 180 degrees in his seat to look at him. Well, Solace used to be theirs. He could just call that the reason he acted so surprised. But Felix hadn't told Adrien about that, had he? He paled and looked down at his desk, hands folding in front of his face.

The conversation went on as Sabrina recounted her encounter and Adrien's staring at Felix intensified. Marinette, caught in the middle, watched Alya moderate the conversation. “And Solace is usually really calm, but she just got so excited.”

Chloe shrugged. “She must recognize a superhero when she sees one.” Felix and Adrien both looked at her, as if expecting a follow-up comment. But she didn't give one. Alya moved on with the theories.

Felix and Marinette's phones both let out a sharp chime a few minutes later. Alya made a jestful comment about silencing their phones. Felix turned his phone to silent and unlocked it. A row ahead, Marinette did the same. A text message. Correction: Adrien had started a group chat with him, Marinette, Felix, and Nino. Nino hadn't pulled out his phone, though.

_Adrien Agreste : I think the battle should be tonight._  
Marinette Dupain-Cheng : why??  
Adrien Agreste : We need to put all of this to rest. And even if Nuit doesn't fight, he should make an appearance. Hint, hint, Felix.  
Felix Agreste : I get that I'm the shiny new thing, but I don't entirely understand why you want to have the fight so soon.  
Nino Lahiffe : lmao same why this evening? doesn't give you guys much prep time, does it?  
Adrien Agreste : Do we really need prep time? Rules: don't actually hurt the other. First to call it quits loses.  
Marinette Dupain-Cheng : you seem pretty confident.. i'll do it. but which chat is going to fight?  
Felix Agreste : I'll do it. Chat Nuit needs to make an appearance, right? This might set some minds at ease.  
Nino Lahiffe : are you sure?  
Felix Agreste : Yeah. They're not going to be satisfied until I start putting myself forward, so this is a logical option. Let's meet at 7.  
Adrien Agreste : Okay. So who wants to tell Alya? Chat Nuit has a Snapchat, but it's...not exactly family friendly.

Nino broke into a coughing fit in the front row to mask his laughter. Felix glared at the back of his head as he waved the others away, saying he was fine. He leaned over and muttered something to Adrien. Adrien nodded and leaned away. 

Madame Bustier didn't return, leaving the students to talk amongst themselves. The four lying in wait feared an akuma attack, all checking news stations every few seconds. But nothing came. Once the bell rang, everyone filed out. Madame Bustier came out of Monsieur Damocles' office with a smile. 

So, everything was fine for now. Adrien disappeared without a word, leaving Alya to gush with Nino, Marinette, and Felix. 

The three guided her to the school doors, where a crowd had gathered around something...No, somebody. Chat Noir's voice came through the crowd. “Hi, yes, thank you. I'm looking for Alya Cesaire. Does anyone know where she is?” 

And if Adrien didn't sound nervous as all hell. He pushed through the crowd and grinned at Alya, who stood starstruck in the center of the courtyard. “Alya Cesaire, right? _Enchante._ I'm Chat Jour. Nice to see you.” 

Alya stared up at Chat and stammered out a, “Hello.” 

“So, you said you wanted to talk about a fight with Ladybug and Chat Noir, right?” Chat waited for her to nod before continuing. “I'm not available for quite a while, but Chat Nuit and Ladybug are both free tonight.” 

“They can do the thing tonight?” 

Chat Noir nodded, smile spreading across his face. “Be ready at the Parc des Princes at seven tonight, and they'll meet you there.” 

“Thank you!” Alya bounced up and down in place. “Thank you so much, Chat Noir.” 

He gave her a short but friendly nod and started walking away. Without a moment's hesitation, everyone started crowding around him. He grinned at everyone and started answering the least probing questions, keeping a tight lip about Chat Nuit except for a few short statements. 

“How do you guys know each other?” someone asked. 

“Ah, we took music lessons together a while ago. We're close friends now.” Chat Noir prepared for other questions. Felix felt Nino's eyes on him and ignored them. At least it wasn't a lie. 

“What's you guys' favorite video game?” 

“Persona 4. His is…” He glanced to Nino and Felix, who were both shaking their heads. “He doesn't have one, actually.” 

Felix adjusted his bag. “I'm going to start home for lunch. I expect Adrien will be home eventually.” He started to push at the outer edges of the crowd. Nino and Marinette followed. Alya stayed behind to film and hopefully ask some questions of her own. 

“Wouldn't it be cool if Ladybug showed up about now?” Marinette said, nudging Felix in the side. 

“Yes, certainly,” Felix responded. He pushed through the last of the crowd. “But it looks like Chat Jour is leaving soon, so she might want to appear soon.” As he looked over to Marinette with an entirely sardonic expression, Nino burst into laughter. 

She nodded. “Fair point. See you around, Felix.” She bolted away and around the corner. 

Felix looked over to Nino as they started down the stairs. “And Chat Nuit will visit you after the battle. The one he fully expects you to be there for.” 

“I'll be front and center,” Nino reassured. 

“I love you.” 

“I love you too.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....Check the chapter count.
> 
> Also as soon as I finish this I'm going to start working on a personal project of mine that I'm extremely excited for. I would appreciate if you checked it out at pixelliest.tumblr.com/universes . I'll be following up with information about it there as well so. 
> 
> Requests? Questions? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	28. The Highlight: Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title is a pun~

Lunch and afternoon classes passed in a flurry. Felix was really, truly awake for the first time in weeks. Nervous energy bubbled up in him to the point where Marinette told him to chill. Adrien asked if he wanted to switch twice.

Adrien left right after school for a lesson. Marinette stayed after with Alya to set up for the battle. This left Felix and Nino alone, and let Nino walk Felix home. 

As soon as they were out of sight of their classmates, they let their fingers intertwine. Both Felix and Nino stayed abnormally silent as the mansion came into view. Nathalie let both Felix and Nino in through the gates without question. 

Felix stopped halfway to the steps. He spun around to stand in front of Nino, back to the door. “I suppose I'll see you later?”

Nino looked at him with a crease of worry in his eyebrows. “Felix. I can tell you're nervous.”

“I'm fine. Nothing much to do, is there? I can't let Adrien take this, regardless.” He wrapped an arm around Nino's shoulders as comfort rather than seduction. “I'll be fine. I'll see you there.”

Nino didn't let his gaze break from Felix's before he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms tight around Felix's waist. Felix let him and reciprocated with a tight grip. Nino pulled away after a few seconds. He pressed a quick kiss to Felix's cheek before opening his eyes. His stare faltered. “I'll see you later,” he said, and made a quick exit.

Felix didn't really need to look over his shoulder to understand, but he did anyway. Gabriel stood at the top of the stairs. Nathalie had already moved to the bottom and stood in wait for him. Gabriel let out a loud huff before following Nathalie. “Of course it's the Bubbler,” Gabriel mumbled under his breath.

It was out of courtesy that Felix let him pass before continuing on. He let himself mull over his father's words. They didn't sound flippant or condescending, nor did they sound approving. He sounded…neutral. “Of course it's the Bubbler,” Felix mimiced as he pulled himself up the stairs. He pushed his door open and closed it behind him. “What does that even mean?”

Plagg drifted out of his bag. “Maybe he's been wondering who it was.”

“But he called him the Bubbler.”

“Well. You've always been of the opinion that the Bubbler has the worst design. Maybe he agrees.” Plagg shrugged. “Do you have any cheese?”

Felix thought for a second. “Not with me. There's some in the kitchen.” Plagg darted away, leaving Felix alone with his thoughts.

Leaving Felix alone with his thoughts could have been dangerous if he was thinking about the battle. But he much prefered to dissect the words of his father. Plagg returned within a few minutes, and Adrien knocked on his door about an hour after that.

Adrien immediately set to work distracting Felix for as long as possible. He asked for help in physics, even though he'd gotten the answers correct. He let Felix rant about the possible meanings of “Of course it's the Bubbler.” He indulged Plagg in his standard Camembert cravings. Plagg was just as understanding, mentioning nothing about the fight.

“Maybe he's like. Oh. It's Adrien's friend.” Adrien tried to spin the empty box of Camembert on his finger for the billionth time. “That's how he got akumatized. Maybe he literally doesn't know Nino's name.” The box fell to the floor and rolled across the carpet.

“Yeah. Great first impression.” Felix spun on his heel to pick up the box. “Oh, it's him. The kid who trapped me in a bubble and sent me into the sky because I didn't give my sons a birthday party.” He threw it to Adrien.

“Well at least he's compassionate.”

Felix sighed. “Yeah.” He checked his watch. “We should head out. It's about 6:30.”

The twins walked out through the front gates, Plagg tucked away in Felix's pocket. They walked in absolute silence. Nino was waiting a block away from the arena. He bounded to the twins with a grin. “I got my parents to let me come as long as I took a ton of pictures and video. They're mildly suspicious that I'm dating Chat Nuit now, but that's okay.”

Felix raised his eyebrows. “They don't know?”

Nino shrugged, hand going to his headphones instinctually. “Well, they know I'm dating someone. They just don't know who. I don't know whether to tell them I'm dating you or Chat.”

“That's fair. We can figure it out later.” Felix pulled Nino into a side alley while Adrien rolled his eyes.

“Right,” Adrien said. “I'll play lookout.” He turned away from them.

Nino leaned in low to mutter into Felix's ear. Felix focused all his attention to Nino. “Y'know, if you win this, I might have quite the reward for you.”

“Oh?” A blush rose to Felix's face. 

“Well. You could consider that a bit of motivation,” Nino said, pulling away. The two locked eyes.

The world slowed around Felix as Plagg was pulled from his pocket and a bright light came from near the mouth of the alley. Both Nino and Felix looked over to see Chat Jour meet their stares. Nino abruptly pulled away. “Well. I better go help Alya set up.” He rushed away, leaving Felix and Chat alone.

“What are you doing?” Felix asked, stepping closer. “Chat Nuit has to fight.”

Chat shook his head. “No. Chat Nuit stays in the spotlight no matter what.” He grabbed his baton and tossed it to Felix. “Chat Jour might not be readily recognizable, but I can't let you do this. I'll fight.”

“I said I would do this. I knew what I was getting myself into.” Felix gripped the baton tight to his chest. Somehow, he didn't expect it to be such a cold metal.

“But you shouldn't have had to.” Chat looked to the road and back to Felix. “You're my brother. I'd do anything for you. So just...let me.” He backed away without another word and bounded to the rooftop. Felix watched him go.

After a couple minutes of shocked staring, he tucked the baton into his vest and walked the rest of the way. For seven at the heart of Paris, it was quiet. Cars still moved about, but the honking was lesser. Felix moved across the street with ease.

The audience was mainly at the front few rows. Not as many people as Felix expected, and not nearly enough to give him stage fright or anything. Alya was walking between sections, helping set every detail up to perfection. 

Felix slipped into Nino's second seat row. “You knew about this, didn't you?”

“Little bit. Marinette didn't, if it makes you feel better.”

“Does she know now?”

Nino pursed his lips. “That's a good question.” The two watched Sabrina stride toward them with a leash in her hand. Felix adjusted the baton to his side.

She gestured to the seat next to them. “Is this seat taken?”

Felix looked up at her, ignoring the dog sitting at his feet. He would give Solace love in due time. “Is Chloe joining you?”

Sabrina shook her head. “She said she had something else to do, but didn't say what.”

“Of course she did,” Felix said with a sigh. “No, the seat's not taken.”

As soon as Sabrina sat, Solace adjusted herself to sit closer to Felix. He noted the green vest over her harness. Nino got up at Alya's request to “help me with this! Oh my god it's going to fall.”

Felix leaned down to pet Solace. She didn't react much, aside from leaning into his hand. “Missed you,” he mumbled to her.

Sabrina glanced over at him. “Missed...oh!” A grin spread across her face, eyes lighting up. “You're her old owner, aren't you?” Felix looked to her and nodded. She beamed even brighter and gestured to the vest. “I'm training her to be a therapy dog now. She's such a sweetheart.”

Felix was about to say something. However, he was cut off by Alya's screeching. Nino flinched away from her but followed her eyes like everyone else. On opposite sides of the arena, Ladybug and Chat Noir leapt onto the field. They stared each other down as they reached the center. Every move they made felt calculated and premeditated. Felix wondered whether Ladybug knew which Chat she was battling.

Nino, through Alya's viewfinder, saw Ladybug's eyes narrow. Oh, she knew. She cycled through shocked to disappointed to mildly irritated. She pinched the bridge of her nose and turned on her heel. Chat followed suit, and they turned to leave half the field between them. “Y'know,” she called, “Nuit's puns aren't nearly so horrible.”

The audience erupted in mutterings of confusion. It's Jour that's fighting? Felix was too far away to see how Chat's eyes flickered out over the audience, searching for him. He wrapped his hand around the baton through his silk vest. He would be okay. Everything would be fine. Alya was muttering about last minute changes, but she was still excited. Nino returned to his seat.

“Well, _chaton_ , shall the fight begin?” Ladybug put her hands on her hips and stared Chat down with a smirk.

“Whenever you're ready, my lady.”

The two started a slow circle in the field, staring each other down. The audience stayed blisfully silent. Chat Noir carried himself with a presence about him that radiated with prestige and confidence. His feet were light on the grass and he kept his shoulders relaxed. He could have pulled off Chat Nuit after all. 

Ladybug kept her own relaxed stance. She looked over Chat, sizing him up. Trying to figure him out. But she never made the first move, and tonight was no exception. Chat lunged forward. Ladybug went to dodge his move, but he caught her around the waist. She rolled out of his grasp and pulled her yo-yo from her hip. 

Felix and Nino watched on the edges of their seats. Chat's baton pressed against Felix's ribcage as Ladybug spun her yo-yo out to Chat.

The fight went on for some time. A constant dance of attacking and evasion. They weren't trying to hurt each other. They were dancing around their moves, Chat rolling around Ladybug as if he was in Felix's ballet practice. If Felix didn't know better, he'd say Adrien _was_ Chat Nuit.

Ladybug was the one to call for her power. She used Chat's momentum to spring from his back. He stumbled onto the grass as she called for Lucky Charm. A little toy mouse fell into her hands. Chat bounded to his feet. She looked between the toy and Chat in confusion.

“A cat toy?” she wondered aloud. “I don't think he'd be fooled by a toy mouse.” She turned the mouse over, rolling it in her hands. 

Fifty feet away, Felix and Nino held back their internal screaming. From Alya's excited muttering, they could tell the toy wasn't just a toy. Or, it was. But it had catnip. And Chat was now approaching Ladybug with the utmost caution.

Her gaze flickered around the stadium to no avail. She watched Chat Noir stop a meter or two away from her. After a long moment of contemplation, the entire stadium so quiet you could hear a pin drop, she held the toy out to him. “I have no idea what to do with this.” 

Chat, much to the chagrin of his brother, took the toy. He rolled in his hands for a couple seconds, studying it. Ladybug's earrings beeped. Nobody flinched. He held it up, squinting at it. Ladybug watched him without moving. But this would take care of itself. As soon as Chat got a sniff of the toy, he stilled. 

Felix pinched the bridge of his nose. He only somewhat registered Solace's quiet whine up at him and Sabrina's gentle _shh._ Nino grabbed his free hand and held it between their legs. Every eye locked on the pair in the center of the stadium.

On the cameras, it showed Chat Noir's eyelids fall a bit as he stared down at the toy. “What is this?” he muttered. “Is this...” He sniffed at it again. “It's catnip.” His ring beeped for the first time, and everyone in the arena collectively tensed. Felix's fingers tightened around Nino's.

But Chat didn't tense. He didn't even move. He sniffed at the mouse again as if he hadn't even registered the beep. His claws made little dents in the fabric. Ladybug came closer to him. “Chat, you should get out of here before you detransform.” As if to prove her point, his ring beeped again.

He looked up at her with a tilted head. His ears flopped forward. It was like he was struggling to stay awake, with how his eyelids fell and snapped open. He walked closer to Ladybug with a leisurely stroll. “It's fine.” His speech was slurred. Ladybug's earrings beeped again. He got close enough to lay his head on her shoulder, eliciting a blush.

She laid her hands on his shoulders and pushed him away. “Chat, no. You need to go.” Her words carried a sense of urgency, and it was understood. If he transformed in front of all these people…

His ring beeped again. He pouted. “Awh, come on Marinette. You know I'm not Felix, right?”

Transformations didn't matter. Everyone that knew who Felix was turned their eyes to him. Nino got a death grip on his hand. Felix watched Ladybug freeze in shock and terror, and did the same. His free hand flew over his mouth. Oh god, he was going to throw up.

With her third minute warning,Ladybug started pulling him out of the arena with the fourth beep. Felix let go of Nino's hand and pushed to go after them. The baton fell from his vest, but he caught it with ease. It wasn't like he had anything to hide anymore. He raced down the stadium halls, two pairs of footsteps following. 

He hadn't even gotten the duo in sight yet when one of the people following caught his wrist. The wrist of the hand holding the baton. He stumbled and spun on his heel to face Alya. Nino raced ahead of them but stopped soon after. “You're Chat Nuit?” she screamed, phone in hand.

Felix froze. She sounded...betrayed. Of course he's not what people would expect of the heroic Chat Noir, savior of Paris. But her hand was so tight around his wrist and she looked close to tears. This is what he expected from Nino, not from-

“We can talk about this later,” Nino interjected. He grabbed Felix's other hand. “Felix, let's go.”

Alya let Felix go. They didn't hear her footsteps follow. 

Ladybug was just around the corner. She had knelt in front of a dazed Adrien. Adrien was half asleep, eyelids fluttering and knees tucked lazily against his chest. Plagg slept on the ground beside him, nestled between his thumb and index finger. Ladybug sprang to her feet and rushed over to Felix, trembling.

“I don't know what to do. I didn't think he would-”

Felix stopped her at an arm's length away. “It'll be okay. The high will pass. But I know it affects me, and I know you still have it on you.”

“That's not what I'm talking about!” she yelled. “I heard Alya screaming from around the corner. We're fucked. Our identities are gone. Papillon could take our Miraculous stones while we're sleeping, Felix.”

He didn't know what to say about that. Ladybug's earrings beeped for the fourth minute. “Marinette. We'll be fine. We'll figure it out.” He lowered his arm. He could smell the catnip on her, even if it was just a little bit. “You need to wash your hands or do something to get rid of the catnip smell.”

Ladybug's expression fell from panicked to resigned. She released her transformation. Tikki fell into her hands, and she held her close. Marinette pulled a cookie from her purse. Felix and Nino watched her sit beside Adrien before kneeling in front of him. 

Nino patted his knee. “How ya doing, buddy?”

The pat grabbed Adrien's attention more than the question. Adrien's eyelids fell almost to the point of being closed. “What if Papillon is actually Mister Kubdel? I mean think about it. We've never seen them in the same place.”

Felix slumped to sit cross-legged on the ground. He set the baton in his lap. “Adrien, we've never seen Papillon himself.”

“But when we were fighting Volpina-”

“That was an illusion.”

“Oh.” Adrien shifted his gaze to his knees. Nino sat down, letting one leg sprawl away. “What if it's Nathalie?” 

Nino snorted. “Nathalie? The one with the red streak in her hair?”

“Yeah,” Adrien drawled. “Like. I don't know.” He tucked his knees closer to lean his head on one. He didn't move the hand Plagg was sleeping in. He stared at a stray piece of trash on the concrete. “What if it's Fa-”

Felix snapped in front of his face. “I swear to god, if you don't shut up about Papillon's identity, I will stab you with your own baton.”

Adrien's eyes opened as far as they'd been in the past ten minutes. He blinked at Felix for a couple minutes before his gaze drifted back to the ground. “I think I'm sobering up,” he mumbled after a couple minutes.

“How much do you remember?” Marinette questioned. 

“Not much,” Adrien admitted. “It's coming back really slowly. I remember that stupid mouse toy, and you dragging me off the field. But I-” He cut off abruptly with a gasp. “Wait. No. I didn't.” He moved both hands to clutch his knees. Plagg didn't stir. He looked between the faces of Marinette, Felix, and Nino. “Tell me I didn't say that.”

The other three looked to each other. Adrien put his head into his hands with a groan. “I'm so sorry.”

“It's okay,” Felix reassured. “I tried to reveal my identity too. Nino was just better prepared.”

Nino raised an eyebrow at Felix. “You do realize that was the night I found out your identity, right?”

Tikki looked up from Marinette's lap, where she'd been chewing at a cookie. “I think it would be best if Chat Noir stayed away from catnip from now on.”

She was met with murmured agreement from all but Plagg, who was still sleeping soundly. Adrien frowned down at the kwami. “Is this normal?”

Nino, Felix, and Tikki all nodded.

They left without saying goodbye to anybody. Adrien clutched the baton to his chest. Felix cradled Plagg in his hands on the way home. Marinette's phone rang three times. The first two were from Alya, which she ignored. The last was from her parents, which she answered. She parted ways with the others.

She was across the street when they heard the shriek of, “You already _knew_?” 

The three of them paused for a second before continuing on. “Do you think Father knows?” Adrien murmured.

“I guess we'll find out,” Felix sighed in return.

They came to the next intersection in silence. Nino put a hand on Felix's shoulder. “I'll see you tomorrow, okay?” Felix nodded. His grip on Felix's shoulder tightened, and then released. He crossed the intersection and faded out of view.

Nathalie let Felix and Adrien into the gates. They paused at the door. Adrien didn't even bother to hide the baton, but he did wonder why it didn't disappear with his transformation. Plagg stirred but didn't wake. They both took a deep breath and went inside.

Some parts of their minds expected something more. Anything more than lights off and the dead silence ringing around the entryway. Adrien closed the door behind him, holding his baton with his thumb on the button.

Footsteps sounded down the stairs. Felix and Adrien tensed, their eyes swinging to the source of the noise. The green of Chat's baton seemed to glow.

Their father paused at the top of the last stair segment. Adrien straightened up, holding his baton to protect it rather than as a weapon. Gabriel's eyes flickered between them. Felix held Plagg closer, eliciting a tiny meow of protest.

Gabriel started making his way down the stairs, his expression as stone cold as ever. “When I watched the fight online, I had a hard time believing it was you two. Now I see it was just as everybody thinks.” He ignored how his sons flinched back. “Your mother was just as reckless as you two. Do you have any idea the sort of trouble you could get into, being Chat Noir? You could get hurt.

“Do you even know the sort of danger you've put yourselves in?” He pushed forward, his voice getting louder. “Everybody in Paris knows who you are now. Imagine if-” He cut off. Felix and Adrien looked at him like scolded children. Which they were. Plagg wriggled in Felix's hands. “You're going up against one of the most dangerous men in Paris in your free time.”

Felix stayed silent. Adrien didn't. “What should we do then? We were chosen. We can't let Papillon just have free reign over the city-”

“He's not targeting the city!” Gabriel interrupted in a yell, making the twins flinch. “All these formers akumas, they all had one objective. Get the Miraculous stones. That's his goal. He's targeting you.”

“Then let him,” Felix responded. “If we can protect Paris, if we can keep him from achieving whatever goal he has, it's worth it.” He felt Plagg finally stir away and peek over his hands. Gabriel peeked down at the kwami.

“At the risk of your own personal safety?” Gabriel sneered.

Adrien and Felix answered in unison. “Yes.”

Gabriel looked between the two of them in shock. After a few moments, he shook his head. He turned on his heel and started back up the stairs. “Just like your mother,” he muttered.

A few seconds later, Felix and Adrien retreated to their rooms. Adrien came into Felix's room a few minutes later, phone pressed to his ear. “I don't know, Marinette. Have you talked to Alya?”

Felix unlocked his own phone and opened Snapchat. Nino had already sent him a video. He was on Skype, with Alya practically screaming via video chat. “I can't believe you were dating Felix. Like, I knew you had a thing for green eyes, but holy shit!” Seven seconds in, the camera flipped to show him staring at the screen, eyelids dropping. 

In return, Felix sent a photo of Plagg trying to open the Camembert wheel on his dresser. _“Do you want to get on video chat?_

The video chat icon lit up. Felix accepted the call. Nino started ranting without a second thought. “You'd think that after finding out Chat Nuit is one of her close friends, she'd stop asking about his dick size.”

Adrien stopped mid-sentence to burst out laughing. Marinette's panicked questioning was audible. Nino didn't stop ranting for a fair five minutes. Felix curled up on his bed against the wall and watched him rant. 

Once he was finished, Felix finally spoke. “So did you have to talk to your parents when you got home?”

“They were asleep when I got home. But I'm sure they'll find out when my dad reads the morning paper.” Nino paused. “Like, the online edition. Anyway. I'm not waking them up to tell them I'm dating Chat Noir.”

“Fair enough,” Felix amended.

“So what about you guys? Did your dad say anything?”

“He said it was very dangerous and that we were as reckless as mom was.” He paused, glancing to where Adrien was listening to Marinette rant in the desk chair. “But he didn't try to take our rings, so that's a plus.”

Nino snorted. “Right. Are you doing okay?”

“As well as I can, I suppose.” He picked at a piece of lint on his shirt. “We'll have a lot to deal with in the next few weeks.”

Nino was about to say something, but he was interrupted by a shout outside his door. It sounded feminine but very angry. “ _Nino Antonio Lahiffe_!”

“Well,” Nino said, voice suddenly an octive higher and cracking. “That's my cue to go. I'll call you later if I'm not grounded.”

“Love you.”

“I love you too.” Nino hung up, leaving Felix to pick at the lint pills scattered across his clothes. 

Plagg settled next to him. “Hey, kid. Chin up. Things could be worse.”

“Yeah,” Felix murmured. “I guess so.” He stopped picking at a piece. “Are you ready for the inevitable onslaught of attention?”

“Of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requests? Questions? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com


	29. Epilogue

“It was so nice to meet you,” a girl gushed. Her friend nodded beside her. “And happy birthday!” she added as they turned away.

Felix and Adrien said their thanks and continued on. Plagg drifted between them, uncaring. The sky was overcast. Tiny droplets of rain fell and quickened their pace. Felix pursed his lips. “Do you ever question how Chat Noir fans know so much about us? Like, they know our routine by now.”

Adrien shrugged. “I went into Marinette's room as Chat before we were dating. I think we were fighting the Marionnettiste? Anyway. Her walls were totally plastered with my face. So I don't think much about dedicated fans anymore.”

“Even so. It's been, what, five months?”

“Six,” Plagg corrected.

Felix ignored him. “I feel like things should have settled by now.”

“They have,” Adrien defended. “Nobody's asking us about our identities anymore and all the intricacies. There aren't Ladybug and Chat Noir blogs following us around like paparazzi. At least, I don't think so. But things have really gone quiet.”

Plagg looked between them. “Speaking of going quiet, am I the only one worried about how there hasn't been a single akuma attack in six months?”

Adrien pursed his lips. “Maybe he went, 'oh, hey, they're kids,' and decided to leave us alone.”

“And how old is Manon, that girl that was the Marionettiste and very nearly won the battle?” Both twins had no answer, and Plagg nodded to himself. “Exactly. In the past, Ladybug and Chat Noir's battles get significantly harder after their identities are revealed. But Papillon is just...gone. You guys have been dividing patrols, for Fu's sake.”

The three stopped at an intersection. Cars bustled about for the lunchtime rush. Felix adjusted the strap on his bag. “Maybe it's time for Ladybug and Chat Noir to exit the stage, too.”

Plagg darted up in front of him with a glare. If he was bigger, he surely would have grabbed the sides of Felix's face. “No. That is the exact opposite of my point. I'm saying something really, really fishy is going on and we need to get to the bottom of it.”

Adrien tilted his head. “Can getting to the bottom of it wait a day? It's our birthday. Let us relax.”

They crossed the intersection. Plagg floated along with a lasting scowl, muttering about “the youth.” The gates were already open when Felix and Adrien came to them. They shared a glance. The gates were never open like this.

“I'll take this if it's an akuma,” Adrien offered. Felix nodded along, and Plagg stuck a little closer to Adrien's side. They proceeded with caution and paused at the doors. On Adrien's nod, Felix swung the doors open.

They expected silence. Or possibly an akuma bursting out and trying to swoop at them. Instead, a crowd of people yelled, “Surprise!”

Brightly colored streamers dipped across the ceiling. Tables lined the walls. With the yell, music kickstarted and echoed around the entryway. The faces they saw were all familiar and genuinely grinning. But at the forefront stood Nino and Marinette, blowing noisemakers. And best of all, there was no akuma to be seen.

They welcomed in Felix and Adrien. Marinette led them to the refreshments table, monologuing about how they had set everything up to the best of their ability. The cake, they noticed, was in the shape and color of their rings, stacked on top of each other and shaped in fondant. Neither had any doubt about who had made the cake. “And Plagg, because I know you'd complain, we have a nice selection of cheese for you.”

Plagg hovered over the silver platter she gestured to. “This is the greatest cheese platter I've ever seen.”

“I'm glad you like it,” Tikki said. She flew the rest of the way out of Marinette's purse and turned to Adrien. “And there are plenty of sweets made specially by the Tom and Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie.”

“I feel like that was more for your benefit than mine.”

“It's both of us.”

Nino laughed, grabbing Felix's hand. He started pulling him away. Felix didn't question for a moment when he pulled him into the dining room. The door swung closed. Nino swung an arm around Felix's shoulders. “Happy birthday, _minou._ ”

Felix wrapped his arms around Nino's waist. “Thank you for this.”

“It was no problem,” Nino said. He pressed a brief kiss to Felix's lips. “You didn't get a birthday party last year. And I will admit that Adrien's was subpar. So I wanted to remedy that.”

“I'm just glad to see you.”

Marinette snorted from the doorway. “Who knew the Chat of the Night could be as cheesy as a young adult novel?” She pushed in with Adrien and Plagg in tow.

Nino glared at her. “This better be important, Ladybug.”

“Oh, we just wanted to give Felix his birthday present.” Marinette didn't falter as she called, “Tikki, _transforme-moi_!” With a flash of light, Ladybug stood in front of the three. Felix tilted his head, obviously confused. “A kiss from Ladybug to free you from the curse, right?”

Felix blinked a few times. “I. I mean. The kiss can't be out of practicality. It has to be out of love or something.”

“Doesn't familial love count?”

Okay. So Felix had never considered that. He opened his mouth to shoot back, but he had nothing to say. Plagg floated up to Felix with the most excitement he'd seen in...ever. “Do it. Try it. Say the thing. It might work.”

Felix looked down at his ring. The little cat stared back at him with narrowed green eyes. He sighed. “I appreciate it. I really do. But I have to admit, being Chat Noir has given me so much. And we don't know-”

Plagg raised a paw. “You could get rid of me.”

“I take it back. Plagg, _transforme-moi_!”

Another flash of light engulfed the dining room. Chat opened his eyes and looked to Nino. Nino looked back with a smile. Ladybug let go of Adrien's hand and stepped forward. She looked up at Chat. Then, in one swift motion, she pulled his head down and gave a swift kiss.

Felix transformed back without hesitation. “Is this...strawberry?”

“Strawberry chapstick,” Ladybug corrected. She transformed back, bouncing excitedly. “So? Can you take the ring off now?”

Plagg hovered by Felix's hand, trembling with excitement. He wouldn't disappear if Adrien took his ring off as well. So Felix raised his left hand to his right and slipped the ring off.

It fell off easily between his left fingers. He heard Nino's gasp of, “holy shit.” The ring seemed much less menacing when it wasn't staring him straight in the eye. There was a little tan line where he'd worn the ring for so long. 

Adrien gasped. “Why don't we switch rings? That way, everything's like it was supposed to be.” He slipped his own ring off. Plagg didn't disappear. Neither charge wanted him to. Felix passed his ring to Adrien and held the silver one in his hand. It was heavier, if just a little bit. He slid it on to replace the black ring.

It fit perfectly. Felix let a little smile escape his lips. It was perfect. He looked over to Nino and was met with a kiss on the cheek.

They returned to the party soon after. Alya interrogated them about their rings, asking why and how they switched and whether it would affect Chat Noir's ability and appearance. They admitted they didn't know. 

Once everything had settled into a routine party, the four could meet back up. Adrien looked at the party around them. “I'm just amazed Father let you throw a party after what happened last year.”

Nino shrugged. “I guess the combined power of someone who was akumatized when he said no to the same thing and Ladybug is a pretty strong power.” He took a bite of his cookie. Marinette nodded with his words.

“I wonder if he'll show up,” Felix mused quietly. Plagg was the only one that heard him, but the kwami drifted closer to him as a tiny sign of comfort. “I'm sure he has more important affairs to attend to. But the thought is nice, nonetheless.”

Elsewhere, an apertured window shade swirled open. A man in a white suit stepped into the room. His kwami drifted behind him in silence and drained anticipation. Butterflies whiter than his suit fluttered around him and settled on his suit. He stepped to the center of the window's light and stilled.

A long silence passed. The kwami floated to his shoulder. His eyebrows were furrowed as he stared at the edge of the window's light. “They're happy,” he mumbled, “aren't they?”

“It seems so, sir.”

“All this time I spent trying to piece our family back together, and I missed out on the most important thing.” He gritted his teeth. “I can't believe this.” His hand clenched around the fabric he'd torn from his chest. The kwami glanced at the Butterfly brooch on his chest. “They're happy like this. I should be happy like this.” He loosened his glare, his grip on the fabric. The kwami relaxed a bit.

Gabriel looked out over the skyline of Paris. “Do you think it's time to move on, Nooroo?” He didn't get a response.

That night, after Felix had seen Adrien off for night patrol, he retreated to his room. His plans included tea, a book, and messaging Nino. He already had his phone out when he walked in. He froze before he could sit on his bed and opened Adrien's contact instead.

On his pillow laid a black and red box, opened to show a violet locket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I'm off to write other rare pairs. Because I have a thing for Shutterbug and Adrithanette and Nino/Felix (what is their ship name by the way). Have a wonderful day, and thank you for sticking with me through all of this <3
> 
> Requests? Questions? Message me: pixelliest.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> Requests? Comments? Just wanna talk? Message me at pixelliest.tumblr.com <3


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